Windows to the Soul
by KageTora
Summary: Of course Nami has the whole mindset of 'I only love money and mikan'. But what happens when she comes upon a homeless man? Will she change her mind? [AU][SaNami]
1. Eggs and Waffles

Since my summary sucks I wont give it to you. I'm sure you've been through enough torture...

I know you've probably heard this a million times by now but...please read 'n review. It give me the strength to go on...

_thinking_ _or emphases _"speaking" everything else

((Disclaimer - I once had a dream where I owned One Piece. I was drawing the cartoons and airing it then making books. But all dreams must end...))

WAIT! I forgot to tell you that Bellemère is still alive in my story. That makes it an AU.

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BEEPBEEP...BEEPBEEP...BEEPB– Crash!

Turning over and groaning, a fire haired girl felt anything but happy. _Someone is going to die._

All the way downstairs a pink haired woman was making breakfast. With a cigarette placed firmly in her mouth, she cracked an egg into a hot skillet in front of her. She looked at her stove-top clock and sighed. _Time for another 'Nami' day?_ Knowing that today was Friday, she would have to be extra careful of Nami's temper.

As said girl lay tangled in her sheets, she heard soft footsteps trudging up the steps toward her room. She knew who it was and what they wanted. It was Bellemère and she wanted her to get up to go to school. She automatically covered her head and pillow with her blanket. The doorknob twisted, opening the door and allowing entrance into the teenager's room.

"Nami," the tall woman named Bellemère began, "you do know that you have school today right?"

Nami replied with a simple grunt. "Ugh..." she sounded pathetic. "Unfortunately." she paused, "Bellemère, what time does the sun get up?" Nami asked. Bellemère looked at her like she hadjustsprouted another head.

Bellemère looked as if she were really thinking. "I don't know, Nami. Do you know when the sun gets up?" Teasing Nami was one of Bellemère's favorite pastimes.

She could hear a small growl from under the covers. "I think the sun needs to wake up at noon...like me!" She could hear Bellemère laughing on the other side of the bed. "What's so funny?" she asked, baring her teeth at her foster mother.

"Oh nothing... just that you sounded so weird when you said, 'like me!' You sounded unnaturally happy." she joked.

Nami pulled the covers off her head and glared at her. Bellemère took this a chance to pull the covers off of Nami. Who, of course, knew what she was thinking, but was too slow. Bellemère reached forward and pulled at the edge of the covers so hard Nami fell forward. Nami laughed at her own stupidity. "Bellemère, Why does school start so early? And why does it have to be during the day? Why can't it start at seven at night and end at midnight? That would be awesome..." she trailed off and rolled on her back. She almost immediately fell asleep.

"Oh no you don't. You can't fall asleep on me like that!" scolded Bellemère. "And I don't know the answer to your questions. They're too hard. Go ask someone who knows." She picked up the covers that fell on the ground and placed them on the bed. "Nojiko is already at school. She said she would be there early to check things out. She likes to get a head start when she starts a new school." She walked over to the door. "So just get dressed you little punk. Breakfast will be done in abou--" she cut off. She sniffed the air and screamed. "Gah! The eggs are burning! Get dressed Nami, and don't go back to sleep or I'll get you up the hard way!" She ran down the stairs and started on remaking breakfast.

_Might as well get dressed._ She walked over to her dresser and tried to pick out the perfect outfit for her first day at school. _Why did school have to start on a Friday? I hate Friday mornings. _She picked out some black jeans and a cadet blue T-shirt. She walked over to her bed, but didn't quite make it. Somehow, she got her foot caught on a rug wrinkle and fell face-first onto the carpet. The clothes she was carrying flew all over the place and landed on her head. _I can tell this day is going to turn out great... _She thought sarcastically.

Nami walked downstairs clad in black and blue carrying her small messenger bag over her shoulder. "Bellemère, is the school close enough to walk to?" she asked as she sat down to eat her breakfast.

"I think so Nami. Why? You don't want to take the bus?" She asked as she slid a plate of waffles in front of Nami.

"Not really. Buses are usually crowded. And I won't find anyone to sit with either." Nami looked down and ate her waffles. She got up and poured herself a glass of apple juice and guzzled it down. She pushed her waffles aside and kissed Bellemère on the cheek. "Expect me home. I should be home around 2:30. Bye!" She picked up her backpack from the floor and slung it over her shoulder. She walked over to the door and put her shoes on, sliding them on without tying the laces.

As she stepped over the threshold, she took in a large breath and exhaled vigourously. She started walking down the sidewalk, and as she passed the alley next to her house, she slowed down, _Why do I have this strange... feeling?_

---

I know this isn't much, but it took me a long time. I told you I was a slow typer. Well, that completes Chapter 1 of _Windows to the Soul. Remember ... R&R!_


	2. Off to School

Sorry this took so long...complications...(meaning school)

((Disclaimer - last time I checked, my name wasn't Eiichiro Oda. He owns One Piece. I own some gum and some colored pencils. Wow... that's depressing...))

On with the story!

((RECAP - She walked over the door and looked back at Bellemère. _Why do I have this strange...feeling?_ She went out the door and walked to school.))

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_This neighborhood is really quiet. I wonder what you can do around here._ Nami thought. The neighborhood was about as normal as one could get. Small apartments and houses lined the street and in between every house was a small alley way. _Probably used to dump trash in._ Nami thought disgustedly.

Nami took a look down the alley that went between her's and her neighbor's houses. It was dark and rank. _Looks like no one takes out the trash around here._ Nami decided not to stick around and be late for her first day of school. But her hopes were drowned because school was a _little_ farther than she had hoped. _I should have taken the bus_, Nami frowned, 'It would have been quicker.'

Nami finally made it to school. But she wished she hadn't. Kids were filing in and out of classrooms in small groups. All had small sheets of paper in their fingers and were conversing with other students. Presumably, their friends. As she walked down the hall, kids separated to make way for her. They were whispering and looking at her. _They think I'm so stupid_, Nami thought. _Like I can't put two and two together._ Obscured by her stoic mask, Nami was fuming inside. She just wanted to lash out at the next person that looked at her funny. She walked to her locker and moved to open it. But the world just wasn't on her side today.

"Well,Well. What do we have here?". A kid stepped in front of her. _Woah. This kid is ugly. He looks like a clown._ Indeed, this kid did look like a clown. He had long blue hair and a big red nose. His clothes were pretty normal, but I guess that is all that was normal about him. He looked around at his little circle of friends and grinned. _I hate clowns._ Technically, he was looking at her funny because he looked like a clown. "You new here?" He asked, he breath blowing acidly across her face/

"Yeah. Got a problem with it?" She glared, his circle of friends made several remarks. Consisting of 'ooh' or 'burn'. Small whispers could be heard from the hallway.

"Not really... but since you are new here, I'll need to know your name." He said. _Maybe he wouldn't mind if I punch him in the face..._ thought Nami. She looked around and glared at the people around her. They dispersed and Nami was left alone with this weird looking...person, thing.

"Your reason makes no sense to me. First, I want to hear your name. Then I will give you mine." Nami didn't feel like talking. _Fridays suck, Fridays suck!_ She chanted in her mind.

"The name's Buggy. But you can call me..." He trailed off. Contemplating the names he wanted her to call him. _What a freak._ She thought, rolling her eyes at his stupidity.

"I'll just call you Buggy. You can call me Nami." She started to walk away, but Buggy grabbed her wrist and she tried to break free. "Let go of me you ugly freak!" Nami screamed, baring her teeth at the offender. She took her other hand and tightened it into a fist, she swung it at Buggy but he caught her other hand and shoved her to the ground. She lost her backpack and hit the floor with a thud. "What the heck was that for!" she shouted, rubbing her wrists.

"You need to know your place here at this High School. Here, I'm the greatest and Newbies, like you, are the lowest." He turned around and summoned his friends to follow him to class. Nami glared daggers at his back. _I have this feeling I wont fit in around here._

"Hey, Buggy! You stop right there!" Buggy, and Nami turned around. Buggy glared and turned to leave again.

"Just leave, Luffy. There is nothing to see here." said Buggy. Nami looked at this 'Luffy' person. He was wearing a red, short-sleeved shirt and jeans that cut off at the knees. Atop his head was a simple straw hat with a red band running around it. "And take off that hat. You know it's against the rules to wear hats in school. _What a dumb rule,_ thought Nami,_ In my old school, even teachers would wear hats._ Nami crossed her arms. Good thing she didn't bring her hat today, not a good thing to get into trouble on the first day.

Luffy slipped off his hat and spun the rim on his finger. "Leave the girl alone, Buggy! No one deserves to be treated like that. Not even you." _I've never had anyone stand up for me before._ thought Nami. Nami smiled at Luffy. Luffy was just telling Buggy to bug off (bad pun, sorry) and he actually left, to her increasing amazement.

"Fine, Luffy. I'll leave. But don't blame me when you're late for class." As if on cue, the bells rang for home room. Luffy walked over to Nami. She picked up her backpack and opened the locker she had intended to open earlier.

"Hi. My name is Monkey D. Luffy. But you can call me Luffy. What's your name?" He asked. _This is much better. First, you introduce yourself and then you ask them what their name is._ He extended his arm awaiting a handshake. _At least someone has manners..._

"My name is Nami. I'm new, I came here last month." She placed her books and things in her locker and slammed it shut, the vibration from it closing hurt her wrist. "Oww!" Nami drew her hand back and rubbed it, closing her eyes and baring her teeth. Luffy looked at Nami, shock overtaking his features.

"Nami, what's wrong? Did Buggy hurt you?" _Dumb question, Luffy,_ Nami laughed mentally. What Luffy didn't know, was when Buggy grabbed Nami's wrists, he twisted them. "We better get you to the infirmary. We can get late passes from the nurse." Luffy grabbed Nami's shoulders and walked her to the office.

"Luffy, will I miss first period?" Luffy laughed. Nami didn't catch what was so funny. _Why are people so weird around here?_ she asked herself.

"Did I miss something?" she asked Luffy, honestly confused. They walked there in silence for a few minutes. Nami was wondering if he even heard her until he answered.

"I was laughing because right now it's home room and home room lasts for about 20 minutes. You'll have enough time to get your wrists checked out and just make it to first period." He stopped. "Let me see your schedule." Nami fished her schedule out of her binder and handed it to Luffy. He read it and smiled. "Haha! You have the same home room as me!"

Nami smiled. _I think I just made a friend._

Now don't kill me if the characters are ooc. This is my first fan fic. Now, please R&R and we will have more fun reading the next installment of Windows to the Soul!

Next Time-Nami goes home and has another run in with the alley next to her house.  
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN!


	3. Class Time!

((Disclaimer - I do not own One Piece. If I did, I wouldn't waste my time with you losers. I would be rich making a movie!))

I actually think this story is going good. Steady rate, Not-to-bad grammatical errors and such. Halfa-NariMaruko is helping with my commas and junk...

Thank you, my reviewer(s)!

(( Gothywolfie)) - yes, they are in high school. To be specific: Nami moved during 11 grade. Making her about 17 years old.

((RECAP- Nami smiled. _I think I just made a friend_))

Anywhoo, Enjoy this next installment of Windows to the Soul!

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Nami walked to the infirmary with Luffy. The nurse clarified that Buggy only internally bruised Nami's wrists and that they would heal in about two to three days. "It really felt like he broke them," Nami said, "they really hurt." Luffy only laughed again.

"Haha! That's okay. She said they would heal in a couple days. Did you not hear her?" Luffy asked. They walked around a corner and Nami stopped, staring out of the glass-walled, mini-hallway.

"No, I heard her, but I just don't want to bump into that Buggy again." She looked down and Luffy walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I have a feeling that no one will like me here."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Luffy. "My friends will totally love you!" You've only been here for like...half an hour or something. Just give it time." They stood there for a couple minutes in silence. Nami was staring at her feet and Luffy was looking around like he was waiting for Nami to say something. "So, Nami. Where are you going?"

His voice snapped Nami out of the reverie she slipped into. "Oh, I don't know." She opened her binder and searched around a little. She finally found what she was looking for. She pulled out her blue schedule and held it triumphantly. At least, until Luffy snatched it out of her hands...

"Let me see what class you have next." Luffy beseeched. He read over the paper, clearly pleased with what it said. "Hey! You're in all of the same classes as me! Well, except for two. They are Math and... hey, that's cool!" he exclaimed, "You have a class called... Coastal Navigation! What's that about?" he asked? "Does it have to anything with the ocean?"

Nami looked at her schedule. _I don't remember signing up for that class._ Then it hit her. _Bellemère_. Bellemère knew how much Nami loved the ocean. So Nami explained to Luffy about her class, "Coastal Navigation is navigating the oceans and stuff. Like how to find islands and other crap like that. You also make maps and learn about the ocean floor and..." she ranted on, but by now Luffy was totally uninterested. He was staring at his hands and every once in a while stared up at Nami and nodded like he understood everything she was saying.

"Well, that's nice, Nami, but we need to get to class! First stop, English class!" They practically ran up two flights of stairs, and when they got to the top they caught their breath and ran to their destination. The bell rang as they opened the door. _Perfect timing._ Nami panted.

Nami felt so nervous. _I hate this feeling. It makes me feel weak and insignificant..._ Nami walked through the door with Luffy and shoved the late pass she got from the nurse in her pocket. Luffy walked to a seat near some people in the middle, but Nami sat behind him in the back, away from the unfamiliar people. She didn't want to talk about herself. It was too nerve wracking.

The teacher stood at the front of the room. She looked pretty normal. With short brown hair and was pretty short herself. She wore a loose, green, long sleeved top and light tan pants. She had another feeling that the teacher and her wouldn't get along very well. She cleared her throat. "I see we have a new face in the class." _I don't like her already. The first thing she says has to be about me._ "Will you come up and introduce yourself to the class?" She asked innocently. The other students were quiet, also silently awaiting her answer.

"Fine," Nami put her stuff on top of her desk and got out of her seat. Walking slowly to the front of the class, she could hear snickers emanating from the other students. She looked around and saw Luffy. _What an idiot._ He was smiling widely with two thumbs up. Nami sighed and began. "Hello, my name is Nami." she started. Several students could be heard saying, 'Hi, Nami'. I came from out of state last month. "I live here with my mother Bellemère and sister Nojiko. She is in 12 grade... I... guess that's it." Half hearted claps could be heard around the room.

Nami walked back to her seat and pulled herself into it. Luffy turned around and whispered. "Hey, Nami, good job." He gave her another thumbs up and turned back in his seat. The rest of the day turned out like that. Going to class to class giving the same speech over and over. She found Coastal Navigation as fun as she thought. But Math wasn't nearly as fun. She didn't find the Pythagorean Theorem very interesting.

When it came to lunch time, Nami didn't have much luck. First of all was that they were serving grilled ham and cheese. Yet another thing Nami hates. She drank the milk but went hungry afterwards. She sat at her own table, alone and peaceful. People gave her weird looks but looked away when she gave them a glare so cold it could freeze the equator. Apparently, Luffy wasn't there. He said he had a lunch detention for not doing his science class work. Nami didn't like her science teacher very much from the first time he saw him. Short, curly, grey-black hair and glasses. He wore a plaid shirt with a tie and suit pants. He truly looked like a nerd.

Nami caught up with Luffy after History. "Hey, Luffy. Where do you live? Maybe it's near where I live." Luffy looked up at her and thought for a bit.

"I live on North road." He said. She thought about her street. _If you turn off at that street, you arrive to that street, and then..._ Nami looked at Luffy happily.

"I live on Ellen Hill road. That's right off of North road. You can walk with me!" Nami explained. She walked over to her locker and opened it. She picked out the things she needed and zipped up her bag. Shutting her locker, she walked away and met Luffy at his locker. "Hey, about ready to go?" She asked impatiently.

"Yeah, just a sec." He pulled out his history and science textbooks and stuffed them into his backpack. He shut his locker and sighed. "Today was a long day." They walked down the hall and out the doors. "I hate our science teacher. I think he wants to kill me."

Nami laughed. "What makes you think that?" she inquired. "He didn't seem 'that' bad." Luffy stumbled on a rock.

"Did you see the way he looked at me? It was a death glare I tell you." Nami laughed, she also got the same look from him.

"He did look evil didn't he? With his nerdy glasses and all." Nami said facetiously. Luffy just shrugged and walked over to the crossing guard.

"Come on, Nami, we have to cross the road." As the crossing guard held up the stop sign, Luffy and Nami walked quickly across the crosswalk.

---

That's a pretty long chapter eh? Yup. Yessir. Yeah. Whatever. I f you have any questions, please mail me. Stay tuned for the next installment of Windows to the Soul!!


	4. Whose alley?

((Disclaimer - IF I owned One Piece, the show would be VERY interesting -rubs hands together and laughs evilly-))

(I didn't even plan the last chapter. I had everything planned out. In chapter 2, lots of things were supposed to happen . . . including this chapter! But I stretched it to last about four chapters. Cool!

((RECAP - "Come on, Nami, we have to cross the road." As the crossing guard held up the stop sign, Luffy and Nami walked quickly across the crosswalk.))

ON WITH THE STORY!

---

Nami and Luffy walked silently to their destination. Home wasn't exactly far, per say. But it only seemed far if you rushed or something. Nami fell in step behind Luffy and looked at the street signs. Luffy was leading them in the wrong direction. "Take a 90 degree turn, Luffy."

Luffy gave her a look that said, '_Hey, this is ME you're talking to. Not Albert Eienstein._' "What?" inquired Luffy, twisting his face into one of pure confusion.

"A 90 degree turn right. We will be turning onto Mullen Street if we take a right . . . a _direct_ right." Something seemed to click in his head and he nodded.

"That makes sense. Good thing you take Coastal Navigation, or else we'd be lost!" Shouted Luffy. Nami rolled her eyes. _What a nitwit._

"Luffy, taking Coastal Navigation doesn't help when you're on _land_." She explained. It seemed Luffy didn't get it but he shrugged it off.

"Oh well, you knew which way to go and if you weren't here, I would be still walking forward onto that other street." Nami laughed and kept walking, keeping her eyes on her feet the whole time. "Hey, Nami." Nami looked up. "Too bad you didn't meet my friend Zolo. He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. He has no navigation skills whatsoever."Luffy laughed. Nami laughed at this too.

"Is he really that bad?" Asked Nami. "Can he find his way around school?" Luffy chuckled.

"Barely. He still has to ask people where stuff is and he's been there for three years." explained Luffy. Nami looked up at the street signs, noticing her road was close.

"Bye, Luffy. My road starts here. Maybe you can come over on Monday and we can do our homework together." Nami waved goodbye.

"Bye, Nami. I'll see you Monday!" Luffy waved frantically. "I would like to come over. I just have to ask my dad first." he explained, grinning like a child.

They said their final goodbye's and walked in their own directions. Luffy walking forward and Nami taking a left onto a small, downward hill. Into her little cul-de-sac. She moved to the left side of the road and started humming. She walked past her neighbors house but stopped. She ceased her humming and turned her head to look down the alley she looked down that very morning. She had the same strange feeling she had that morning walking out he door. _Should I go down there?_ Nami really didn't want to go down there for two reasons. 1) it smelled. And 2) who knew what was down there? She didn't want to find out, but she gathered her courage, took two steps forward, and looked around.

It actually wasn't that bad in there. Yes, it was dirty and smelly, but it could be cleaned and maybe look nice. She went to take another step forward but heard a loud squeal. She looked down and saw a huge rat racing around her feet. She slipped on some moss and felt herself fall backwards, "Oh geez." Falling backwards, and desperately trying to regain footing to no avail, Nami fell and felt a sharp pain shoot through her left arm. _Oh, God. What happened?_ She was afraid to look. Yet she wanted to see. She wanted to see exactly what happened, but it scared her to think about it. She gathered all the strength she could muster and looked down at her arm. _Crap_... she thought.

Her arm was torn up. Starting from the top of her shoulder to the middle of her forearm was scratched . . . deep. Blood was practically pouring from the wound (not literally). She had to get this cleaned, and fast. She got up and clutched her arm. She looked down and saw what she had cut her arm on, a nail sticking out of an old trash can. The pointy end was sticking out and scratched her arm. She looked down and saw the rat that tripped her. She glared at it and kicked it hard toward the back of the alley. With a satisfying thump, she looked away. She started walking to the entrance.

After one step, she heard a grunt and the sound of something whizzing through the air. She looked back and saw a broken bottle coming toward her head. Quickly, she moved her head and watched as the bottle went flying past her nose. She stared at the back of the alley and wondered what or who threw that. She started walking forward for some strange reason but couldn't stop herself from walking. Then another bottle came flying, but lower this time. She managed to move her arm out of the way, but her leg didn't quite have the speed. It slashed her calf and she screamed in pain. _At least I stopped_. She thought. She looked up and decided not to see what had thrown those bottles. She grabbed her arm and limped out of the alley. Afraid to look back, she hobbled as fast as she could. She walked as best as she could toward her front steps and rested there for a second. How was she supposed to explain this to Bellemère? _'Oh, Bellemère. I was just playing in the alley next to our house and split my arm in two and slashed my leg open_.' Yeah, that would go _real_ well.

She had to get past Bellemère and not get caught. _Well, I have all weekend to get better. I just can't ask for help with this. Bellemère would kill me._ She leaned over the railing of her stairs and peered through the windows. Bellemère was reading the paper in the living room in the back of the house. _Good, I can get past her without her noticing. Now, to think of a plan . . ._ Nami straightened up and opened the door. "I'm home Bellemère! I had a really tiring day and I'm going to take a nap. I'll tell you about my day at supper."

She could hear Bellemère flip a page in the paper. "Okay, Nami. Have fun." Nami rolled her eyes. She wasn't paying any attention at all._ Perfect_. Now she could get past her and clean her wounds in the bathroom. Bellemère was always distracted while reading the paper. She walked over and gave Bellemère a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Bellemère? Where's Nojiko? Shouldn't she be home now?" She honestly didn't know why she even tried. She would probably answer, 'Okay, be back by eleven.' or something to that extent. She placed her backpack in her doorway, took off her jacket, placed it on top of it, and took her hair out of the low pigtails she had her hair in that day.

"Whatever, Nami. Have fun, and be back by ten." Bellemère mumbled. She flipped another page in the paper. She wasn't very far into reading it as she could tell. She was only on the second page. She could always ask about Nojiko later. She kicked her backpack the rest of the way into her room and closed the door. She opened the door to the bathroom and locked the door. Just in case Bellemère tried to open it. Bellemère would've forgotten she even talked to Nami.

After locking the door she took off her shirt and placed a dark red towel in its place. Just in case any blood spilled on her shirt, she wouldn't want it to stain anything. She also took another towel and placed it in front of the sink. Taking a bowl from out of the cabinet with one hand, she started the water with the other. Warm water splashed into the wide basin and filled it to the brim. She sat on the towel in front of the sink and grabbed another towel from out of the sink's bottom cabinet. Cleaning the wound was _almost_ as painful as pulling teeth without anesthetics. She grabbed some antibiotics out of the medicine drawer and rubbed a layer of it on the cuts._ Now where is the bandages? And tape? Where is anything in here?_ Bellemère probably didn't unpack it yet. She took off the towel and placed it around her shoulders in a way that it covered the rest of her. She creaked the door open and looked to see if the coast was clear. Unfortunately, it wasn't. She saw Bellemère in the kitchen grabbing a bottle of wine out of the bottom cabinet. _Geez, I've been in here longer than I thought._

She tip-toed out of the bathroom and closed the door as silently as she could. The box that held all of the important bathroom stuff was in the living room. She had to go through the kitchen to get to it though. _Okay, think this through, Nami_... she told herself, _just think of something_. She sat there in hard silence thinking of what to do. Suddenly a thought popped into her head.

She picked up a random thing on the floor and threw it with all of her might. Waiting for the sound of a heavy object hitting the hard kitchen floor was long waited. She looked at what she had just thrown. She couldn't believe it, she had just thrown a sock. _Smart, Nami. Real smart... _she scolded herself. Even the dumbest person would know that socks don't make a noise when they hit any kind of floor. She looked around the room for something a little heavier. She spotted a bottle cap in the corner of the room and crawled over to it. Picking it up and throwing it, made a much more satisfying sound as it bounced of the refrigerator and clanked down the stairs. Startled, Bellemère looked towards the sound and went to investigate. As Nami hoped, The bottlecap had hit the box that held the bottles they saved for tangerine jelly and made a much noisier sound as it ricocheted off the bottles.

As Bellemère went downstairs thinking something fell, Nami took the chance to run into the backroom and grab the box that had all of the medical fixings. Silently, she ran back to the bathroom and re-locked the door. She sat on the closed toilet seat and pulled out the medical bandages. She wrapped her arm and leg tightly, then applied the tape to hold it in place. Changing into her shirt, she could hear footsteps approaching the bathroom. Her heart started beating faster. The footsteps stopped in front of the bathroom door_. Great. Just great. She's going to find out_. The footsteps started again and faded away. Nami let out the breath she had been holding. She quickly packed all of the things back into their proper place. The towels in the hamper, the medicine in the drawer, and the bandages and the things she found in the box with the medicine in the drawer. She would tell Bellemère later that she thought she could help unpack a little.

She flushed the toilet to make it seem she had been in there. Placing a hand on the door handle, she turned it and walked into the kitchen. She had to hurry to her room before Bellemère saw all of her injuries. Her wrists, arm, and leg. She knew it, the world was out to get her. She slipped past Bellemère and started toward her room. Placing a hand on the doorknob and turning it she motioned to move into her room... "Hey, Nami! Where have you been? Did you just get home?" Bellemère inquired, a slightly worried expression overtaking her features.

Nami hid her arm behind her back and put her right leg behind her left. She shook her head. "No, Bellemère, I got home like an hour ago. You were reading the paper, remember?" Bellemère seemed like she understood. "I'm going into my room, I'm going to change into my bed clothes." _I'm free!_

"What's that on your wrist?" Bellemère asked, concerned. She walked toward her with an outstretched arm.

Nami shook her head. "It's nothing. Just a bruise, I accidently slammed my hand in my locker today." Nami lied. She looked around for an excuse to get away to her room. Noticing the stove was on, she knew exactly what to say. "Bellemère, what are you cooking?"

Bellemère smiled at her brightly. "Your favorite, chicken Marsala and rice. Why?" she questioned.

Nami faked a frown. "Well, I think it's burning." Of course that was a lie. She wouldn't be so mean if was really happening.

Bellemère gasped and ran over to the stove. Nami took this chance to run into her room and change, she charged into her room and closed the door. She turned and walked toward her dresser. An event that happened that same morning happened again. She walked forward and tripped on the rug she neglected to fix. Now, she was forced to fix it. Letting out a frustrated growl, she fixed the rug and trudged over to her dresser.

She picked out a very long-sleeved shirt and long night pants to hide both of her injuries. She ate dinner with Bellemère and talked about what had happened during school. Purposely failing to mention Buggy and the little detour to the alley on the side of the house. After dinner, she walked tiredly back to her room and flopped on the bed. She turned off the lights and thought about what she was going to do about the alley. She yawned widely, _I'll think about it tomorrow. But right now, I need sleep._

-

Whew! This about two days to write. It's long in WordPerfect but it doesn't seem so long on ff.n. Please enjoy and review. Something has been bothering me. I have about 456 hits and three reviews. It makes me feel so alone. At least say what I can do better! Have some compassion!


	5. What or who is in the alley?

((Osanagokorochi - I am sorry I didn't mention that Bellemère being alive wasn't the only part of the story that makes it an AU. I am so thoughtless.))

And thank you Osanagokorochi for giving me the wonderful advice, I will surely take it.

I am also very sorry that I am not writing very fast. I still have to check out for subject beginnings and I have school, BUT I am getting a vacation soon. Yay spring vacation! Also summer is coming up and I usually have nothing better to do during that so yeah . . .

((Disclaimer- I don't own One Piece. Fine, make me even _more_ depressed why don't you?))

((RECAP - She turned off the lights and thought about what she was going to do about the alley. She yawned widely, _I'll think about it tomorrow. But right now, I need sleep._))

ON WITH THE STORY!

---

It was dark and the streetlights outside her house didn't give off their eerie glow. Nor did the new moon with its dull brightness. Nami was outside her house for a stroll when she heard something in the alley next to the house. It was pitch black and she couldn't see a thing so looking down the alley was an automatic _no_.

There seemed to be a force pulling her into the alley and she couldn't escape from it. She looked down to see that there was a hand gripped firmly around her ankle. She hit the ground and knocked the breath out of her lungs, so screaming for help was also out of the question. Her nails were scraping the ground and leaving fine scratch marks. She thrashed her legs around and kept her hands stretched out in front of her as she desperately tried to grab a handling. Regaining her breath, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

No one seemed to hear her or care. People could be seen walking in front of the alley like they didn't notice her. Almost as if she was invisible and unheard. She felt a warm tear stream slowly down her face. No one cared, and they never will.

-.-.-

Nami woke up with a cold sweat and a gasp, her shirt clung to her back and she felt fear grip her heart. She looked at the alarm clock that had been switched off to let her sleep in. It read 4:47. Nami stared at it in disbelief. _4:47? No one gets up at this time!_ She looked out of her curtains. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. _Might as well get up. There's no way I'll get back to sleep after that._

She slipped her feet out from under the covers and shivered. Grabbing her arms to keep in body heat, she touched her feet to the floor and ran over to the rug in front of her dresser. On the rug was her slippers and robe._ I forgot how cold this house can get. It's still Fall. _She pulled on a robe and slippers and quietly made her way down the stairs toward the back room (aka: living room). The pain in her arm and leg ached every time she moved. If she were to fall, she was pretty sure she would die.

Walking into the back room, she picked up the remote on the way to the couch. The tired girl looked at the remote for a while before turning the television on. As it came on, the sound blasted and she turned it down as fast as she could. _I hope Bellemère didn't wake up. She would kill me. _Nami was worried because of the fact that it was only 4:53 in the morning. Explaining her dream to Bellemère would be kind of hard, so she tried to be as quiet as she could. But the television wasn't cooperating with her today. The speakers were on full blast and she swore that she could feel the whole house shake. _What does Bellemère do when I'm gone? Have parties? _The _mute _button was pushed and the system quickly quieted down. Nami stayed silent for a minute, trying to hear if she woke Bellemère up. After staying like that for a while, she turned back to the t.v. _Good thing Bellemère didn't wake up. I don't feel like dying today,_ she looked down at her arm, _then again, maybe I do..._

Nami turned the volume down all the way and turned it up slowly. Then she flipped through the channels and found there was nothing on. Probably on the account that it was only about 5:00 in the morning. Realizing that watching t.v. was futile, she got up and walked into the bathroom deciding to take a shower. As she walked in, she found that the bathroom was quite warm. Apparently there was a furnace that led to the bathroom, and since the bathroom was quite small, it held the heat quite well.

Nami stepped into the shower and turned the water on, making sure that it was on hot. She felt extra cold this morning. As the water came on, she stepped out of the way as to not get herself too wet. Then she closed the curtains to let the water warm up. She looked around to find the towels resting on a shelf on the side of the room. Walking over to get one she spotted the towel she used yesterday. It was covered in blood and almost visible. Nami must've forgot to put the towel in the sink to wash it. She mentally kicked herself. _What if Bellemère found it? I would get grounded for a month! She would ask me what happened and then I would have to tell her that I went into the alley alone and cut myself on dirty items and she would rush me to the hospital and then other people would touch me and shake their heads saying, 'I'm sorry, we will have to amputate both limbs.'_ Nami shook her head and was glad that Bellemère didn't go to the bathroom last night because it was right next to the toilet. She filled the sink with hot water and placed the towel in it to soak. _That'll do it... I hope._

The shower water was done warming up so she stripped herself of her clothing. She slipped off her shirt and took a look at her bandages. After she peeled them off, she could really she how bad the scratches were. _These aren't scratches. These are gashes. They are much deeper than scratches._ Next, she took off her night pants and took a look at her leg wound. The cut wasn't as bad as the arm, but it was still shocking that she didn't pass out last night from lack of blood. Deciding that she would wash them in the shower, she grabbed a towel, took off the rest of her clothing, and got in the shower.

After taking the much needed shower, she dried herself and tied her hair back with a tiny scrunchie, just to keep it out of her face. She then got dressed and went to the sink to clean and bandage her wounds. It was a little easier because she had done it before, but it was still gross, with blood and the horrible scars that would come out of this. Although, she had always wanted a scar on her arm, she really didn't think that she would actually get one.

The pain was almost unbearable. She almost thought of stopping and letting Bellemère find out about it. But at this point in time, that wasn't an option. She wanted to show Bellemère that she could handle things like this by herself. _Maybe I can tell Nojiko, she might understand and keep a secret like I have done for her so many times._ Thinking that was a good idea, Nami quietly crept up the stairs to Nojiko's room. Surely she would understand. She would show her the cuts and she would just plain understand. Even though it has never happened to her, she would make her understand even if she had to threaten her. Yes, Nojiko was older than her, but she could still threaten her if she wanted.

Nojiko always understood about everything, and she was sure that she would understand about this. Nami stopped herself on the way up the steps. She thought about last night at dinner. She noticed for the first time that Nojiko wasn't there eating with them. Come to think of it, she didn't even hear her come through the door that night. _Maybe she got home early and went to sleep. I knew I should have pressed Bellemère more._ This was bad. What if Nojiko got kidnaped or something? How would Bellemère take it? So many questions raced through her mind as she thought about what would happen if Nojiko never came home. What also raced through her mind, was what could she have been doing to not even make it home? Not wanting to jump to conclusions, she ran up to Nojiko's room. Tripping on the way up, she fell on her arm and stifled a scream, she couldn't risk waking Bellemère up, her room was right near Nojiko's. When she got up, she grabbed her arm and walked the rest of the way up the stairs. She limped over to her door, for when she fell she hit her leg against the stair. She reached for the knob and turned it, then the door swung open. It made a tiny squeaking sound and Nami gasped. She covered her mouth, hoping she didn't wake Nojiko, if she was even there. She peeked into the room and looked at her bed, it was flat. No lump in the middle or anything.

Nami ran out of the room, prepared to tell Bellemère everything she knew. Nojiko, her wounds, the bully and her wrists. She was going to pour her brain's information out and not fear the consequences. But something stopped her. She couldn't place it, but there was something in her mind telling her to stop. Listening to her brain, she turned around and ran out of the door. As quietly as she could, she sat on the steps and just began to cry. She cried about everything. Her arm, her leg, her wrists, Nojiko, and what could have happened to her. Just thinking that she would never see her again made her cry even more. No more fighting, playing, or going places together. She wanted to look for her, but she had no idea where to start. She knew that Nojiko hadn't made any friends yet, so she had no one to call to see if they had seen her. She covered her eyes and cried as hard as she could. She would never dare cry in front of anyone. But the early morning air wouldn't judge her.

Crying for only a few moments, she heard a noise from the alley next to the house. Memories of the nightmare she had that night flooded back to her. Being dragged into the dark space and calling but no one answering. She shivered, either from the cold Fall air or the thoughts of what would happen if she ever did get caught in the alley. Screaming, but no answer. Not even knowing how she could stay in that house after that nightmare was beyond her. There might be an ugly, old man in there just waiting for a young girl to come by and foolishly walk in. Then he would grab her and eat her. Nami shook the disturbing thoughts from her head. If there was someone in there, the neighbors would have moved out by now. Come to think about that, she's never even seen the neighbors. _Maybe they were eaten by the man too._ She shook that thought from her head too. There was no need for thoughts like that.

She leaned over the side of the steps and looked down the alley. It was dark, even this early in the morning. She decided that she would see what was in the alley once and for all. In her head, she noted that she needed a flashlight to actually see in there.

After going inside and looking for a flashlight, it was already 6:00. She found several flashlights in her house, but do you know how hard it is to find a flashlight with working batteries anymore? Finding a flashlight had been hard and she almost forgot what the flashlight was for. But she walked outside and turned on the light.

She could see it was much dirtier than she had thought. Garbage bags piled up and went halfway up the houses. She could clearly see where the neighbors dumped their garbage. _Filthy pigs. _Nami thought. But in the back of the alley, there was a small cleared out area. Curious, Nami stepped off the steps and walked silently through the debris. Flashlight pointed at the ground, and taking small baby steps, she made it over to the small cleared area. She wiped off any dirt or grime that may have gotten on her pants off, quietly moved a garbage bag and peered over the garbage. She stared in disbelief at what she saw.

---

I asked my brother if it was fair to leave you hanging like this, and he said yes. I, on my own account, have to agree with him. Since none of you leave reviews, I just thought that this was fair. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Sorry for the cliffie.


	6. Blood

1Hey guys! Since I don't have the heart, I will update for those of you who are short on patience. But I did find it interesting that when I told you I wouldn't update, I got more reviews. Maybe I should make you wait more often...

((Disclaimer - I still don't own One Piece. I don't get how I could obtain it from the last chapter to now...))

((Gohan-Chan- )) thank you for the interestingly, familiar tid-bit of info. I will add that to this chapter.

((Sanji-Luver - )) I wont let her be eaten by an ugly, old man. You don't have to worry.

((Angelica - )) Thank you for that...interesting review. I will see you at school.

-

((RECAP - She wiped off any dirt or grime that may have gotten on her pants off. She quietly moved a garbage bag and peered over the garbage. She stared in disbelief at what she saw.))

YAY STORY!!!

---

Covering her mouth before she screamed, She backed away slowly as to not wake up what was on the other side of the heap of garbage bags. Panic flooded through her as her instincts took over, then she ran as quietly as she could. Considering the circumstances, she dodged garbage bags, cans and carrion. But as dumb as Nami could get, she looked behind her to see if it was following her. In doing so, she tripped on an old, rolled up rug and went sprawling to the ground.

Nami turned a quick head toward the back of the alley and waited to see if it heard her. She went as slow as humanly possible, clenching her teeth while doing so. As she got all the way up and was standing, no matter how shaky she was, she didn't bother looking behind her.

A tingly, itchy sensation crawled around in her head. It started at the back of her jaw and made its way to her nose. She was going to sneeze. Fright swallowed her and she ran as fast as she could, not caring that she made as much noise as a stampede of elephants. She just needed to get out of there, and fast.

She couldn't take the risk of sneezing. Especially after all of the other noise she had made previously. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Needing to get out of the alley so she could sneeze in the sidewalk. The reason Nami had to sneeze was probably on the account that the alley was dark and wet. The perfect condition for growing mold and moss. Nami, in her bad luck, was allergic to mold. As she ran, she closed her eyes to try and hold the sneeze back. How stupid could Nami get? With her eyes closed she felt something catch her foot and pull her down. Terror stricken, she brought her hands down from her face and sneezed, screaming at the same time.

She looked to see what had brought her down. Realizing her own stupidity, she slapped herself in the head, not caring about the sharp noise it made. The object that tripped her was the stupid rat that tripped her from before. The reason she could tell was the odd coloring it had on the top of its head. It was a bright yellow-blonde and blackish brown the rest of the way down. It was now dead from a bleeding wound to the head. Nami didn't think that her kick was that strong. Maybe she didn't even do it. Yes, maybe that thing sleeping in the back killed it. Just realizing what she had done, she silenced herself immediately. First, she had almost screamed right in front of it, then she trips, then she sneezes, and to top it all off, she screams. _No one could stay asleep after that._

Now that she didn't have to sneeze, she got up and shivered from the immense relation to her nightmare last night. She covered her mouth with her sleeve and walked out of the alley to sit on the front steps. A left turn later, she was sitting on her front steps thinking about what just happened. First she goes into an alley alone. _That's not a stupid idea or anything._ she told herself sarcastically. Then she sees a man about her age sitting behind some garbage bags.

He was dirty, smelly, and his hair was unruly. Like he hadn't had a bath in years. He was clad in black and blue kind of dress clothes. But they were layered with dirt and mud was caked on his shoes. It seemed like he lived there for a while. It was surprising that he hasn't died in those conditions yet. Nami thought back to her earlier thoughts. About a man that eats little unsuspecting girls. _Maybe he's a cannibal too. He works for the ugly, old man._ Yet again shaking those thoughts away, she heard a grunt and a scuffling noise. _Oh no He's awake! _Deciding not to get in his way and get eaten, she got up from her steps and hurried for the door. She opened the door, walked in calmly and went to the kitchen.

Pulling out a chair from the kitchen table, she sat down and rested her head in her arms. She sighed and closed her eyes. She was still worried about Nojiko and what had happened to her. Now she had to worry about a man living in her alley. Things couldn't possibly get any worse. With another sigh, she got up and stretched. She reached high above her head but recoiled as she felt a sharp pain pulse through her arm. She pulled up her sleeve to look at the wound. She stared at it in horror. It had opened up again and was bleeding profusely. _It must have opened when I fell._ she thought.

"Nami! What's this?" Nami panicked and covered her arm with her sleeve again. _When did Bellemère wake up?_

Nami had to think quick. "What's what Bellemère?" She asked, walking over to where Bellemère was. Her heart started to quicken when she saw Bellemère was outside the bathroom._ Oh geez. I forgot to take the towel out of the sink_. She almost felt like crying. She was sure that the hot water would have made all of the blood run from the towel and into the water. She could almost hear Bellemère's rage now.

Bellemère waited until Nami walked over to her. She was tapping her foot against the floor with her hands on her hips. _Maybe she wasn't even mad. Yes, she could have not seen the towel and I might live to get my driver's license._ Nami hoped that she was as confident as she thought because Bellemère didn't look very happy. "Nami, I have to talk to you about something." Nami could have died right there. As long as it killed her and she didn't have to go through with this, she would be fine. Bellemère walked over to the bathroom but took a right. Right into Nami's room. Nami let out the breath she had been holding. _At least she didn't find the towel._ Bellemère stood in Nami's doorway and turned around to look at Nami. Her glare burned holes through her face and Nami backed away a little. "Nami, can you please explain to me why your clothes are in this condition? They are filthy and if I put them in the washer with the other clothes, they will not get washed and make the other clothes dirty. Nothing will get done." Nami opened her mouth to talk, but Bellemère stopped her. "Don't even talk. Just pick up your clothes and hand wash them in the bathroom. Use the tub because I don't want you getting the floor soaked." Nami nodded and left obediently. "Wait , Nami. Use cold water only because the spots would stain worse in hot water. Now shoo, get to work." Nami widened her eyes slightly, remembering what she did to the towel in the sink. _The blood might have stained the towel. I am so dead._

As Nami walked over to the bathroom, she could feel the heat from Bellemère's glare burn holes in her back. After she reached the bathroom, she heard Bellemère walk away into the kitchen. _At least she wasn't as mad as I thought she would be._ She walked into the bathroom and locked the door. The towel was still in the sink and Nami was surprised to see that the blood didn't seep from the towel. Maybe for the fact that she knew nothing about cleaning. Nami freaked out and rummaged through the drawers, looking for something to get the blood off. She thought about calling for Bellemère for help, but she would wonder why there was blood on the towel in the first place. _But if I say I'm looking for a brush to scrub my clothes with, she wont suspect a thing._

Deciding that was a good idea, she filled the tub with water and added soap to make the water bubbly. The towel fell on her back so she took it off and she placed it in the water. But when she felt the water, it was hot and it felt like it burned her skin. Still holding onto the towel, she flung her hand out of the water to prevent further burning of the skin. But since she already submerged the towel in the water, the towel was wet and plopped on the floor with a 'squish'. Nami cringed at the noise and looked hesitantly behind her. The towel was behind her on the floor and water was leaking from it and onto the tile. Nami screamed and picked the towel up as fast as she could. The reason that Nami was using the tub was to prevent the floor from getting soaked. But now, here she was with a soaked floor.

"Nami, what happened are you alright?" she could hear Bellemère's concerned voice from outside the door.

Already panicked, Nami stuttered out, "N-no, it's okay, Bellemère, everything's okay." Apparently, Bellemère didn't care either way.

"Well, I'm coming in anyway." She could hear the doorknob turn and she threw the towel over on the other side of the bathroom behind the toilet. The doorknob turned and Bellemère walked in. She heard Bellemère gasp and she knew what she was thinking._ 'Why is the bathroom soaked? I only left her alone for two minutes.' _"Nami, why is the bathroom all wet? What were you doing in here?" Nami didn't know how to answer that without telling her, her unconvincing truth. So she just had to think.

"I'm sorry, Bellemere. I thought I saw a big, green-ish... thing... in the bathtub?" She mentally slapped herself in the head. _A thing in the water? How stupid am I?_ Bellemère couldn't have fallen for that. It was way too stupid.

To Nami's amazement, Bellemère actually seemed to believe her. "Did it come out of the drain?" came Bellemère's inquiry. Bellemère walked over to the tub and looked over the side of the tub. It seemed she was searching for whatever was in the water. "I'll be right back, Nami. Don't touch the water until I get back." She turned out the door and almost ran into the kitchen. Nami, of course, would go behind her back anyway. She took her finger and placed it in the water, sticking her tongue out at the door. As Bellemère walked in, she quickly removed her finger from the water and shoved her tongue back in her mouth. "Drain the water, Nami. We are going to get this 'thing'."

Nami stared at her like she was crazy, which maybe she was. In her hand was a small box. She couldn't read the label so she just had to ask. "Hey, Bellemère, what's in the box." Bellemère kept doing something that didn't involve Nami, and she felt like she didn't hear her until she answered.

"It's rat poison. We are going to remove the thing out of our house." Nami couldn't take it anymore.

"Bellemère, There is no_ thing_ down there. I was lying. What I _meant_ to say, was... the sink exploded." She had to turn around just to hit herself in the face. That was even more unbelievable than a thing being in the tub.

"Oh." said Bellemère. "I was actually looking forward to-- wait, did you just say the _sink_ exploded?" Bellemère gave her a questioning look. Nami hesitantly nodded.

"Yup, and want to know what made it explode?" Bellemère was silent for a while and seemed to wait for the answer. But Nami wasn't going to say anything until she asked, it would give her time to think about how the sink exploded.

"What, Nami? How did the sink explode? Enlighten me." Bellemère believed there was a thing in the tub, but obviously she didn't believe that the sink exploded. She jumped onto the counter, crossed her legs and placed a fist underneath her jaw. She was going to tease her again, or yell at her. But Nami hoped it wasn't the latter of the two.

_How to explain?_ Nami had to think of something and fast. There was no telling what Bellemère would do if she found out. She swallowed and breathed in. _Here we go. _"Well, Bellemère..."

--

Phew! That took longer than expected. Yes the vacation gave me free time, but... I didn't use it to write fanfiction. Don't yell at me! And stop laughing... I can hear your laughter inside your head. I tried hard on this. It is quite long and I tried not to make any spelling or grammatical errors. I don't have an editor and no one will help me with this. -sigh- Oh well, I guess.


	7. His Name is Sanji

I will work on this the whole vacation so it gets done faster and so people don't tear my head off. ... Maybe I can play sick for a week and not go to school... I will contemplate this later.

Yay reviewers!

((Sanji-luver))- Yes, I am evil aren't I? And I never said it was him... You will have to find out.

Disclaimer- I don't own anything special... especially One Piece... On with the story!

RECAP- _How to explain?_ Nami had to think of something and fast. There was no telling what Bellemère would do if she found out. She swallowed and breathed in. _Here we go._ "Well, Bellemère..."

---

"The thing is... the sink it...blew up becau-... ... the thing...yeah" Nami couldn't think of a good reason and Bellemère just sat there making it worse, she was staring at her. Nami was now under the pressure of an ex-marine's glare. The pressure was almost unbearable. But then, the lightbulb that was tucked in her brain suddenly switched on. Nami shifted and stood on the soaking floor, then turned to Bellemère. "Sorry, but I didn't want to scare you."

Bellemère looked amused. "Scare me? Don't you remember, Nami? I'm an ex-marine. Why would I be scared? I've seen many things"

Holding her hands behind her back and looking away from Bellemère, Nami spoke softly, "Well, you know how I said that I lied and said there was nothing in the tub?" she watched as Bellemère nodded. "Well... I lied. The thing that was in the tub, came out of the sink and made it blow up." She said in one breath. Adding hand motions to emphasize her point.

"I thought you said that thing didn't exist!" She jumped off the counter and picked up the box of rat poison off the floor. "I knew you were lying!" Nami just stared at Bellemère.

"I told you you'd be scared if I told you" She said in a very I-told-you-so voice. At hearing this, Bellemère stopped in her tracks, back faced to Nami. She slowly turned around to face Nami.

"Who said I was scared? I just don't want that damned thing in my house!" She shouted. Probably intending to draw notice from the whole neighborhood.

Nami feigned a shocked expression. "Watch your language, Bellemère! Remember you manners."

Bellemère just sneered at her. "Don't go mimicking my parental unit," She turned toward the sink, box in hand, "I swear, every time I go over her house she says that." She started taking out the basin Nami used to help clean her wounds and started filling it with the powdered rat poison. "Whatever is ruining our bathroom is going to die today." Then turning on the water, she filled the basin and poured it down the drain. _What a waste of rat poison,_ thought Nami. _there's nothing even in the sink._

"Okay, Bellemère, I think you got it. Now let me finish... my stuff." Bellemère looked very triumphant.

"Okay. You do you your stuff and I will go make breakfast." She threw the now empty box of rat poison into the trash can and shut the door. Nami sat on the rim of the tub and pinched the bridge of her nose. All of everything happening was starting to give her a headache. The door suddenly opened. "Hey, what do you want for breakfast?"

Surprised, Nami fell backward into the tub. Bellemère, who was at the door, rushed over and helped her up out of the full tub. As soon as she made sure she was okay, Bellemère burst out with laughter. Nami was not one bit amused. "What's so funny?" she said, trying her hardest to sound menacing.

Bellemère could barely talk. "Y-you!" she managed. Nami was fed up. Bellemère was bent over and on the verge of tears.

Nami stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. "STOP LAUGHING!" Bellemère stopped and looked up at Nami. "Just get out and let me finish washing my clothes. I don't care what I want but, Bellemère, when you are making breakfast, please don't burn it." Bellemère just glared at her.

"Just because I burned breakfast yesterday doesn't mean I will burn it today." she walked out of the door. Nami sighed and walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a clean towel out of it. At the same time, the door reopened. "Hey, Nami. You know how yesterday you said dinner was burning?"

"Yeah. Why?" Nami was surprised that she remembered.

"Well, at that time, the only thing in the pan was some wine. How could it have been burning if I had just put it in there? It wasn't even burning."

Nami's eyes widened some. _Maybe I can get away by stalling._ "Uh, Bellemère, I'll tell you later. Why don't you go down to the street corner and go get a newspaper," Nami walked over to the door and opened it wider, "I'll give you the money okay? I'll tell you once I'm done." She walked out the door and closed it behind her. "Come on, Bellemère, I'll give you the money." She led Bellemère across the hallway and into her room to get some money. Sitting on her shelf nearest the window, was a little coin bowl she kept her spare change in. She picked out two quarters and plopped them into Bellemère's hand. "Go buy your newspaper. And take your time. Very slow. What are you waiting for? Go!"

The quarters flipped around and clinked softly. Her hand clenched around them and she said, "If that's how it's going to be, then fine. I will go over my friends house for a while." With that, she walked away toward the coat rack. "I will be home around 10:00 tonight. Expect me home." Putting the coat on, she smiled and opened the door.

"Bellemère, wait! I need to know where the scrubbing brushes are." With a pointed finger toward the back room she left without another word. Nami placed her ear against the door and waited. She listed the things she did before she left. "Get in car, seatbelt... check mirror, and makeup. Call friend," That took a while, but Bellemère finally finished, "Pull out to the end of the driveway and back into the street... and leave." Standing up, Nami opened the door and watched Bellemère drive away in the old, beat-up station wagon. "I have to buy her a new car when I become rich." _Yeah right!_

Going toward the back room, Nami looked out the kitchen window and noticed it had started to rain. _Great._ She ran up to the table and climbed up it to reach the blinds and pull them down. She stopped, though, in the middle of closing them. Outside the window was the alley. And to her horror, she saw the man sitting in plain view.

The window was high up on the house, so he was pretty far down. But if you looked down for some stupid reason, you would see him. _Bellemère can't see him_. Wait. Why wouldn't she want Bellemère to see him? He might be a cannibal. Or a criminal of some sort. Or he might just be some homeless man and she would be kicking him farther in the streets. And that just wouldn't be cool. So she had to find a way to know who he was and if he's a criminal or something to that extent.

She closed the blinds and ran into the bathroom. Her clothes could soak in the water for a while and get all of the blood and dirt loose. She just had to make sure that the water was cold first. Apparently, she had a small problem with making the water hot for a while. As she got to the bathroom, she kneeled on the ground in front of the tun and looked at the temperature knobs.

No wonder she had been getting the water mixed up! The cold water knob was out of her line of vision. It was placed on the other side of the faucet and she could only see the hot water knob. She smacked herself in the head. How was she stupid enough not to look on the other side? There are always two knobs. Hot. And cold. How did she think you get _warm _water?

Now that she found out there was a cold water knob, she turned it on and waited by the tub until it filled to the top. Some water splashed over the side. Nami went to get a towel from the shelf to dry it up, when she noticed that the whole bathroom was soaked...still. She released the towel and groaned. At least Bellemère wouldn't be home until 10:00. The digital clock on the sink counter read 7:14. _It's still early._

Remembering that it was raining out, she ran across the hall to her room to dress in the proper attire.

The only problem was that on her way into her room, is that she tripped on the way inside. She looked in frustration at the floor where she tripped. To her displeasure, there was a dreaded rug wrinkle. _One day, I am going to get wooden floors... or at least a new rug._ Her rug was one of those furry, shag carpets with the curls. It was kind of irritating. Especially since it was green. A bright, irritating, obnoxious green. It kind of reminded her of those algae that grow in the Japan Sea. What were they called?..._Marimo!_ That's it.

There was only one way to deal with rug wrinkles once and for all. So Nami headed toward the kitchen. Upon getting there, Nami dug through the junk drawer in the drawer opposite the stove. She dug until she found it. A stapler!

She went back into her room and kneeled down on the floor next to the rug wrinkle in question and pushed the rug wrinkle over to the wall by pushing the trapped air under it. Once at the wall, Nami slammed the stapler into the floor. Repetitively. That should prevent her from falling on her face in the future. She nodded her approval and put the stapler on the coffee counter next to the refrigerator. She stood in that spot for a good, long minute, wondering why she was just standing there.

After another good minute of thinking, she realized that it was still raining. She looked at the coffee pot clock and it read 7:20. It hasn't been a _really _long time but the guy outside might be soaked to the bone by now. _He could catch a cold.! _Nami dismissed those thoughts. Why should she care if some homeless guy gets sick? It's not her problem. But it was unbecoming to be indifferent. And besides, the guy _was _sort of cute. _No! He isn't! He's just a poor homeless guy! What am I thinking?_

She walked back into her room looking at the floor so she didn't get caught in another rug wrinkle again and went over to her dresser.

Considering it was still Fall, she decided on wearing a pair of old jeans. _They do have holes but I can just change when I get inside._ She then picked out a red shirt and changed into them. The coat rack in front of the door leading outside held many of her jackets but none of them were suitable for rain. She looked around it several times, but all she could find were sweaters, sweatshirts, and jean jackets. All of them would absorb the rain. She felt like killing something. "Does the world _need_ to be against me all the time?" She decided to look in Nojiko's closet. She was about her size.

She walked up the stairs and yet again tripped. At that time, she remembered that her arm hurt. But she realized this the hard way. The way that involves lots of pain. But she pulled herself together and walked over to Nojiko's door. She raised a hand and knocked on the door. Once. Twice. Three times. Still no answer "Nojiko? You in there? Are you okay?" She opened the door and remembered that Nojiko didn't even come home yet.

Well, since she wasn't home, she wouldn't miss her rain coat. _Man, this is bittersweet_. thought Nami. Nojiko not being here was still concerning, but out of it she got a rain coat. Her closet was still open from the other morning, so she grabbed Nojiko's dark blue rain coat. She slipped it on and tied it in the front. _Since I'm here, maybe I'll snag her umbrella while I'm at it. _She ran over to Nojiko's shelf and looked around until she found it stuck in-between two books. She carefully pulled out the umbrella, but the world wasn't on her side today. Apparently, the umbrella was holding up two more books on top of it and they were holding up the shelf on top of them. The result of pulling them out was that she was lost in a junk avalanche. A sharp something-or-other poked her leg wound and she cried out in pain. It felt like a white hot needle piercing her skin. But it was probably a pencil poking her band-aids or something.

She decided that she would pick everything up and apologize later. But she had to get outside._ Why am I thinking like this? What if he's a killer. A killer of young girls! I don't want to be eaten._ Nami almost had regrets, but she was already dressed to go outside, she couldn't back out now.

_What if he _is_ a killer? He could try to kill me! Not if I kill him first!_ She remembered the blinds and the stapler in the kitchen. An evil smirk caught her lips as she grabbed the stapler. She could make sure no one ever looked out that window again. She climbed on top of the table and pulled the blinds the rest of the way closed and pounded the stapler into the windowsill. _Good thing it's wood._ Now all she had to do is think of an explanation before10:00 tonight and she should be home free. Remembering her previous thought, she opened the junk drawer and pulled out a small jack knife. After practicing popping the blade in and out, she placed it in her pocket and went outside.

Under the overhang, she opened her umbrella and started heading toward the alley. But she stopped on the way there. If she was going to talk to him, she needed a towel to sit on. _I knew I forgot something._ She closed her umbrella and ran inside at the speed of light and grabbed a towel. She continued on her path.

The alley didn't smell _too_ bad when it rained, but afterwards, it probably smelled worse than a wet dog. Further ahead she could see something moving behind the garbage bags. She knew it was him. _No one could sleep in the rain._ thought Nami.

This time, she would get a better look at his face. Last time she was so frightened she hardly saw anything. Just the fact he was dressed semi-fancy and wore lots of black. _I like him already. _"Shut up, Nami!" she scolded herself aloud. Immediately, she covered her mouth. Ready to kill her self with anything lying around, or the knife in her pocket. To her amazement, he didn't stir. _Maybe he's dead? Or he's too shocked to know someone's found him. _

She had the knife, so she continued further. She didn't want him to notice her when she touched him, so she started making her footsteps louder and she gathered enough strength to say, "H-hello there,"

The man turned around right away and Nami put her hand around the pocket knife in her pocket._ He is _not_ going to kill me._

The man nodded. Surprised, Nami spoke again, "Y-you're not going to kill me?"

"Do you _want _me to kill you?" His voice was deep. Mesmerizing.

She noticed she was staring and turned her head around. Her face turning several shades of crimson. "Not really, no." replied Nami. _Why am I blushing? I just met him._ He had to be most handsome man she had ever seen. Even though he was a wreck. Through the dirt that coated his hair, she could tell it was a bright shade of yellow. Though you could only one half of his face, his one eyebrow curled in a small spiral on his forehead. From the look on his face he didn't look like a killer.

He smiled lightly and turned back around. Eyes set on the back wall.

Nami walked up to him slowly. "Is it okay if I sit down? My leg kind of hurts." Remembering how she got her leg cut in the first place brought her back to the alley on Friday. Was he the one who threw the broken bottle? He looked too nice to do that. _What if he's trying to win my trust so he can kill me easier?_ She gripped the knife harder. _No one's killing me._

Nami could have sworn she saw him beam, but maybe it was just the rain. "Go right ahead, no one is stopping you." He reached out his hand, expecting something in return. Nami looked around and then at her hands. Maybe he wanted the towel? _It's worth a try._ She held out the towel and he took it._ Bingo!_

He took the towel and placed it next to him. Then he patted the spot he wanted her to sit on. _Okay, if he's not a killer... maybe he's a rapist! I can't sit too close._ She sat down as far away she could but he still seemed happy. "What's your name?" asked Nami, holding her umbrella over him as well.

"Well, my beautiful lady, you may call me Sanji."


	8. Let's just talk

I started this chapter RIGHT after I finished chapter7. I wrote so much in that chapter in one day, it is kind of scary. Supernatural-y-ish. Yeah.

I couldn't play sick no matter how bad I don't want to go, because my mom will find out some way to make me go to school because I've missed (put amount of days missed here) days. Even if I really was sick, she would make me go and make everyone sick. But I bet my friends would put me in quarantine by myself to prevent the sickness from spreading. Whatever.

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Thank You to all my reviewers for the last chapter! Wow.

((Sanji-luver)) - being the loser that I am, I looked up what marimo was. I can't fool you.

((Gothy Wolfie)) - Yes. Sadly, he is homeless. She will return soon enough.

((Amanda)) - Thank you. I am glad you like it.

((Kosmic)) - I prefer to call him 'Zolo' thank you. And I will not tell pairings. Sorry.

((Ravenrogue19)) - Sorry. I'm not telling pairings. Though, it's probably obvious...

((Mirathin)) - Thank you for the review! I needed it. I will try to write more. Fast.

((Kattea)) - Thank you for the compliment. (Fyi: I love Sanji too!)

((Keiana)) - You will find out soon enough...

((SxN fan)) - That's just how things work out you know? It works into the plot. Btw: I like your name! ;)

-

RECAP- "What's your name?" asked Nami, holding her umbrella over him as well.

"Well, my beautiful lady, you may call me Sanji."

ON WITH THE STORY!!

---

Nami gaped at him. No one had EVER called her beautiful before. But she realized that it made her feel... very good.

Ever since she was a little girl, she's seen more romance movies than you can count on ten hands. And in almost every one of them, the man always said to the lady, _'You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,'_ It made her sick.

No one ever says that in real life. No one is nice anymore... no one cares as much as they had back then. So hearing this totally random guy say it like a normal greeting -which it probably was- was... surprising, to say the least.

She felt heat rise to her face. _Why? Why does he have to be so good looking?_ She looked away, even though it was dark in the alley.

It was then that she realized, that it was still raining out. Her pants were soaked and cold. Her raincoat wasn't very protective and made her shirt wet and cling to her back. It didn't make her comfortable and she could also tell that Sanji was uncomfortable too. His clothes were soaked and his hair clung to his face... his face. His face was very defined, from what she could tell.

By now, Sanji was staring back at the wall again. _Maybe he's thinking,_ she thought, _I sure would be._

Him looking at the wall gave her a chance to study his face for a bit. He was very handsome. Nice jaw line. But the only thing that threw it off was the beard at the end of it. It wasn't very long, but maybe an inch or something. _If he shaved, he would probably be very cute. _Woah. Where did that come from? She shook her head to clear those thoughts.

Sanji saw this and leaned closer to her, placing a hand underneath her jaw. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He breathed into her ear. Nami felt herself start to blush. His gaze was deep. It sort of felt like it was penetrating her mind... her soul. She realized that he had asked a question. But she was just staring at him.

She pushed him away, "What are you doing? Don't touch me," She looked away and put her hand in her pocket, grasping the knife inside it. _If he touches me again, he is surely going to regret it._

"I am truly sorry. If I made you angry, that is. I didn't mean to intrude your personal boundaries. Please forgive me..." He seemed to try to remember something, "... I'm sorry, I never asked you what your name was." He locked his gaze with Nami's, expecting an answer.

Nami wasn't sure if she should answer. This man was a complete stranger, and he is living in an alley... next to her house no less. She had to be careful about what she said. But if she didn't tell him her last name nothing too bad could come of it right? "My name is Nami. Pleased to meet you." She extended her hand, he seized it gently and placed a small, friendly kiss on the back of it.

He seemed to smile brighter when his hand touched hers and it made Nami a little scared._ Maybe he's a pervert..._ Nami thought. _Maybe he's trying to imagine... things. _She shook her head again. Nami scolded herself. _Or maybe he's a respectable man who was kicked out and left to die in the streets._

Nami had decided. He was coming inside tonight and getting a decent meal inside him. From the feel of his hand, she could tell he hadn't eaten anything filling for... some time now. She could almost feel every bone in his hand. His face was gaunt and pale. His cheekbones stuck out the most, he looked like a living skeleton. If he lived out here any longer, he was sure to die from either sickness or emaciation.

For all Nami knew, he could be living off of carrion and her neighbor's and the people who lived here previously's garbage. He could get a terrible disease from rotting animal flesh. At least garbage had slightly good enough food. But Bellemère never dumped the garbage out of the window or anything and she wasn't sure about the neighbors food... she didn't want to find out either. But she had to ask. "So... how long have you been... you know, living here?"

He didn't seem fazed by the question. Instead, he just smiled and turned to her, "For about a month now," He turned back to the wall, still smiling, "It's been kind of tough. You know?" Nami looked own, ashamed. At first, she thought of this man as a mean, old man who ate little girls. But this man was kind and even apologized to her when he made her uncomfortable.

Nami was about to answer, but stopped when she didn't hear the hard thumps of rain against the umbrella, but the soft landing of snow. "Ah, it's snowing..." she whispered. Now it was official, he was coming inside no matter what. Because if this man dies, she would know it was all her fault. She would have left him in the rain and snow to die and rot. She shivered at the thought and gathered her courage.

Letting go of the jack knife in her pocket, she brought her hand up to close the umbrella. Sanji didn't move. He just kept staring at the back wall. Nami stood up and picked up the towel from under her, of course it was soaked and filthy from the dirt and grime on the ground. Deciding she didn't want to even try to explain that, she threw it farther into the alley. Sanji, noticing this, looked up and stood with her. "What's wrong? Are you oka-.." He got cut off when Nami suddenly grabbed his arm and started dragging him up to the front of the alley. "Where are you taking me?"

His voice didn't seem challenging, but rather just curious. Nami didn't answer. She was too scared to talk. She was afraid that if she told him where they were going, he wouldn't want to go and try to break free. That would make her feel terrible, he could very well die, in these conditions.

She dragged him out of the alley and onto the step of her front porch. She was kind of glad she did that. Now she could get a _better_ look at him.

He, for one, was very tall. He was probably about half of one foot taller than herself. And she was quite tall. He also had bright blonde hair that covered his left eye and went just below his ears. The clothes he was wearing were semi-fancy. He looked more like someone who worked in some kind of office building type place. He wore a blue dress shirt, a black suit and tie, and black dress pants. But all of this was caked with mud and grime from the alley.

His face was very handsome. His eyes were dark blue but soft. And above his eye was one of the weirdest eyebrows she had ever seen. It was curly... sort of like a dartboard. His hair covered his other eye and eyebrow. Yet she wondered what he would look like with the hair out of both of his eyes...

_But his eye could be deformed,_ Nami thought. _and he could not want me to see it. He must be embarrassed, looking like this. In front of someone clean, fed and housed no less._

The snow had started to collect on the streets and Nami was starting a nice collection on her head. It was freezing, to say the least. It was then that she realized that she was staring. She could have sworn she saw him blush. _Yup. He's embarrassed._

Nami couldn't take it anymore. It was cold, she was dirty and her wounds didn't like reacting to the cold either. She opened the front door and dragged Sanji into the warm surroundings of her house. He seemed a bit confused at why this totally random girl was taking him inside her house. Without asking him even! Maybe he wanted to stay outside -though unlikely.

Nami was surprised to see that Sanji had taken his shoes off before he came inside. _I guess that's a good habit. At least he's considerate._ She took off her raincoat and put it over her arm to bring upstairs and turned to Sanji to take off his coat as well. But Sanji had already taken off his jacket and had draped it over his arm. She took it from him and hung it over her shoulder.

"Here, follow me. We're going to get you all cleaned up." _Cleaned up? The tub!_ "No, wait a second, stay here." Forgetting once again the tub and its contents, Nami, how do you say... went into a small 'panicky state'. She rushed around, trying to get things organized, all the while forgetting all about Sanji and his problems.

Sanji opened his mouth to talk, but shut it tight when Nami somehow saw him and told him to 'hold on a minute.' Obediently, Sanji shut up and stood there patiently, looking around whilst doing so. Meanwhile, Nami ran upstairs.

Nami's house looked about as normal as normal as anyone's. As soon as you enter the front door, you see a flight of stairs. Apparently they lead upstairs... If you keep going forward you would go down a hall, presumably it leads to the kitchen. If you take a left in the hallway, you would arrive at the dining room, which is connected to the kitchen. The doorway at the end of the hall opens up wide at the doorway, so you can see into the whole kitchen. If you go right at that doorway you end up in a room, off of it would be a bathroom, and a bedroom (Nami's). If you keep going through the kitchen, you would be in the back room (or livingroom) and eventually, a door that leads outside (to the back of the alley).

If you go up the stairs, it would take you to a balcony type hall. Off of it would be three rooms. Probably two rooms and a bathroom or something. And if you looked down from the hall/balcony/thing you could see downstairs. Nami could be seen running from the three rooms upstairs from downstairs. Of course Sanji didn't move from his spot, being the 'gentleman' he was.

Figuring since Nami had been gone for a while, he found it appropriate to ask if she was okay. He was about to ask if she was okay, when he heard Nami say _'hold on a minute! I'll be right there!'_

Sanji was a little freaked out. First: she invites a homeless guy into her house without asking, and second: she knew when he was going to talk. But since it was snowing 'outside', Sanji decided to stay quiet if he wanted to stay 'inside'.

-Nami-

Nami honestly didn't know why she was rushing around. She could just ask Sanji to sit in the backroom and wait for her. But if she went fast enough, he wouldn't have to wait long? Yeah that sounded about right. Plus having someone over and asking them to wait is rude, and no one wants to be rude.

And since he was living in an alley, he could be a criminal and steal things from the house... _Oh God help me..._ she pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned on the upstairs railing. Maybe she should just forget about it and not care what the house looked like.

Accepting defeat, she walked downstairs and in front of Sanji, who was still waiting in the same exact spot she left him in. Except... he was turned around a little.

She walked up to him. He was facing the door and apparently didn't hear her walk up to him. She looked him up and down, although she was looking at his back, she could tell he would be very handsome I he got cleaned up... _Okay, just lead him to the bathroom, and tell him what to do..._

Nami walked up to Sanji and placed her hand on his shoulder. Almost immediately, she could feel him tense under her hand, so she removed her hand and decided to talk to him instead. "Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Sanji turned around and smiled, "No, Nami-san, you didn't scare me. No need to apologize. I'm just not used to having people around me." Nami felt relieved. She didn't want him to be scared of her... wait, didn't she _want_ him to be scared of her? He wouldn't try to hurt her or anything... Oh well.

"Wait, did you just call me Nami-san?" _That was kind of random..._

"Yes, Nami-san. You see, I used to work at a Japanese restaurant, and we had to call everybody with Japanese name suffixes, even the guests. Plus, I like the way it sounds..." He reached out a hand and picked a lock of Nami's bright, tangerine hair and ran his fingers through it.

Nami knocked his hand away from her head and started walking down the hallway and took a left. "Come on, follow me. We're going to get you cleaned up."

When Nami left, Sanji turned around and clasped his hands together near his face. Behind his bangs, his eyes turned into hearts. "Coming Nami-san !" he sang, following her into the hallway.

---

During this chapter, I had some... complications. I just now realized that Nami and Sanji don't have last names... I need to know them and I'm not good at making names up. So if you can help me with that, please tell me. I would like some last names for them... maybe I could look up the Japanese words for 'thief' and 'chef/cook'... That could work. But I would still like some ideas. They would be very useful to me.

Stay tuned for chapter 9 of Windows to the Soul!! R&R!


	9. Let's Get You Cleaned Up

Hey, guys. I am REALLY sorry that I couldn't write any faster... My teachers are trying to kill me by telling me disheartening things and giving me signs in my dreams... Like two nights ago... My science teacher tried to kill me in my dream until I got mad at him and...sort of...bit his head off and killed him...ahem...right. And before that, my English teacher Ms.Ort kept telling me I couldn't do things...like leave the classroom, listen to muzik, or sit in the hallway...in MY dream. The nerve of her... Well, I hope you enjoy the much waited Chapter 9 of Windows to the Soul!

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_Ano_ - means: Um..., or, Hey..., in Japanese.

_Ano na _- for boys.

-

Before I start the chapter, I would like to thank my reviewers -

(( Jelly AKA Angelica ))- Aww! Thank you Angelica! - This makes me feel sooooo happy you don't even know. Thanks for always being their for me and being so supportive of my work(drawing and writing). I know I rock!

(( KageTora ))...yeah...that was me.

(( keiana ))- To answer you questions and comments in order, maybe, maybe, yes they do don't they?

(( Pyro Blade)) - Nice use of the word spifferific! I'm happy that my story makes you so happy you could dance. And thank you for the support... I want this story to be a hit, If only I could get my teachers to stop hassling me...

(( SxN Fan ))- You're welcome on the compliment. Thank you for being patient and liking my last chapter so much! I hope you like this chapter just as much!

(( xXSanji-kunXx ))- Thank you very much on the last names, I may use one of your ideas... I like the Price idea!

(( Kattea ))- Your ideas for last names are very helpful to me also. And I think they are the most common used words... except for maybe doubou.

(( Mirathin ))- It's okay, you didn't get TOO over reactive. Thank you for waiting, now you get a nice chapter to read... though it may be short... enjoy anyway!!

(( Kosmic ))- They really have last names!!! OMG! If you EVER find them, please tell me what they are! I will thank you forever...

(( shadow ))-Thank you, Hunter for the review... I mean it... Hope you like the story, though it's doubtful...

(( Madeline ))- So you really like it? I like Sanji's parts too! I'm glad you do, I worked hard on it. Can you please help me with spelling and things?... You're smart!

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That's it... Now on with the story!

((RECAP - When Nami left, Sanji turned around and clasped his hands together near his face. Behind his bangs, his eyes turned into hearts. "Coming, Nami-san!" he sang, following her into the hallway.))

---0

They went down the main hallway and started down another. This led them to a small hall with two doors, Nami picked the door on the left.

As they entered, Nami saw the bathroom was still wet from her... previous doings... Apparently, Sanji didn't seem to care at all, almost like he was used to bathrooms looking like this.

All the tile was sopping wet and the mirror above the sink was splashed with water and soap. Nami quickly ran over to the shelf on the other side of the bathroom, grabbed a couple of towels and placed them over various parts of the floor. She stood back and studied her work but seemed disappointed, then ran back over to the shelf and grabbed a few more towels and did the same on the parts of the floor that weren't covered already. She looked content with this.

Sanji walked over to Nami and stood behind her, not really sure what he should be doing. He had a vague idea that he would be taking a shower. But it was just a guess.

"Okay, Sanji. You can take a shower here and clean yourself up," she explained using hand gestures towards her chin and hair. "And if you need to shave, you can come to me and I can give you a razor and lotion or scissors to trim your hair and stuff."

Sanji just stared at her. No one had ever been this nice to him before. Even when he was younger. Deciding not to think too hard about it, he nodded his thanks and watched Nami walk over to the tub that was currently full of water.

He watched her bend over the side and pull the plug on the bottom then all of the water go down the drain. Some thing was left in the tub even after. It was her clothes from earlier, limp and not any cleaner than when they had gone in. Nami picked them out disgustedly and turned on the sink after placing them in.

She turned back to the tub/shower and turned the water back on, allowing the water to come out of the shower head up above. Sanji just stared at the shower and back to Nami again. Then back, and again. He started to strip his clothes off and noticed Nami didn't move. He seemed rather uncomfortable.

"Um... excuse me, are you just going to stand there? Or do you want to watch?" He said arching a curly eyebrow. Nami looked appalled. Of course she didn't want to watch... what a pervert. Nami wanted to make one of her smart-mouthed come-backs and slap the living daylights out of him. But she couldn't speak, or move for that matter. She was just a sitting duck, waiting to be shot. Seeing his opportunity, Sanji moved closer to Nami. He saw her pale, then blush. "So you _do_ want to watch?" he cooed, placing a hand under her chin once again.

Nami felt anger rise to her face, turning it red. She summoned power to her limbs and brought her hand to his face with a satisfying _slap!_. She stood back and watched him cradle his contused face. "Don't you _dare _touch me! I bring you into _my _house and let you use _my _bathtub to clean up and this is how you repay me?! I brought you here out of the goodness of my heart, I can very well bring you out again!" she rasped scornfully. _He is so lucky that I don't have my knife with me right now._

Sanji stared at her. He had never in his life had a girl hit him like that before. She put so much power behind it and it felt like his skin was burning. He looked in the mirror, and saw that there was a big, red mark on his left cheek and a little bit of blood in the center. That was _definitely_ going to bruise. He stared down at her and inwardly smiled, not daring to smile at this time. He was pretty much used to having people hate him. Nami left with an earth-quaking slam of the door. He fingered the doorknob and turned the lock on the door for privacy.

He stripped the rest of the way and started taking a _much _needed bath...

-Nami-

Nami stormed off into the kitchen. The nerve of him. How dare he just assume something like that and touch her? If she had her pocket knife with her, she would have cut his stupid hands off and thrown them out the window. But he was lucky this time around, the knife was still in her jacket which was now upstairs. Realizing she hadn't had anything to eat all day, she decided to find something...

She didn't have much luck either. She opened the refrigerator and looked for about two minutes. Still not finding anything, she sat on the ground, her legs spread out in front of her, staring into it for who knows how long? All the while looking up at the clock. Down the hall she could hear Sanji using the scissors since the kitchen is pretty close to the bathroom. She wondered what he would look like after he was done. _He would probably be very cute... uh...maybe..._ At that moment, The fridge door suddenly closed, revealing Sanji. He had shaped up pretty nicely. His hair was at the perfect length, his beard was reduced to a little more than peach fuzz on his chin, and his skin seemed ten shades paler than before.

She watched him as he bowed low. "My sincerest apologies, Nami-san. I didn't mean to be crude, That's kind of the way I was brought up. Again, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Nami just stared at him for a bit. She wasn't sure if she could forgive him. He had made her feel very uncomfortable. But, she felt like she _had _to forgive him somehow. She crossed her legs and then her arms and looked away, eyes closed, from him towards the stapled-shut window. "I don't know... Can you cook? If you can cook, I just might forgive you..."

She opened one eye and looked at him with it. She saw that his eye had turned into a heart. _Aww... that's kind of cool._ "Yes, Nami-san. I used to work at a restaurant as a chef. I can cook however you like. Please forgive me." He opened the fridge back up and stared for a while. "Ano na, Nami-san, you don't seem to have much in here. Do you mind if we go shopping? Only for a few things."

Nami looked shocked. He wanted to go _shopping_? Sure she would let him, but what car would they drive? Nami had a car, but she only had her permit. She can't drive without someone over the age of 20 who has had their license for at least four years. He didn't fit that description. Unless... "I'll drive," He smirked.

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I know, I know, very short right? This took me a while to write too. That's pathetic...

Please review, If you do, you'll appear magically in the next chapter... and it helps motivate me to write faster. Nothing mean like: If you don't write, I will find you and kill you... Those kinds of reviews scare me so much that I _don't_ want to write. :) Well, review and I will thank you. Hope you liked it! -XD


	10. Getting Ready

Okay, I know my last chapter was... kinda short. So I'm gonna try making this chapter a bit longer. It may take a while, so you all have to be patient in-between chapters. It takes my mind a while to process information and ideas, and then finally type them and out hem on the computer. Maybe I could think faster and more efficiently if people review for me...? I'm not begging or anything, but they are so nice to get! For those of you who are concerned with the teachers in my dreams... don't be. I got a dream catcher, it should help. So, have no worries and enjoy the next chapter of Windows to the Soul! -XD

Like I always do, I would like to thank my reviewers!

(( Sanji-luver ))- More dancing people! It feels so good to get reviews like yours XD

(( xXSanji-kunXx ))- That hurt 'rubs head' was it really that short? I knew it was short, but not short enough to mention twice... anyway, I like Sanji the Cook. It cool! Short and sweet, and I know who he is!

(( Kattea ))- I've been trying really hard to get her personality just right. Sanji is easy because he cooks, flirts, and fights. Nami steals, manipulates, fights, draws maps, is a navigator, etc... it's kind of hard to get her just right. Thank you for the compliment!

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On with the story!

RECAP - She can't drive without someone over the age of 20 who has had their license for at least four years. He didn't fit that description. Unless... "I'll drive," He smirked.

---

Nami almost smirked herself but held it back as soon as she thought of what would happen if they got caught. They would get arrested and Bellemère doesn't have enough money to bail Nami out, let alone Sanji... Which, to think of it, Bellemère doesn't even know about Sanji, so she wouldn't have to bail him out anyway. And also, he would have better care in jail than in the streets.

But Nami still felt bad about this. And it was true that they had basically nothing in the fridge to eat. When Nami thought about it, Bellemère was going to cook dinner before she sent her out to get a newspaper... Damn! What would they have eaten if she had not gone? It's not like they can exactly _afford _dinner right now. Maybe they would have gone out to eat.

Sanji looked down at Nami. She was just sitting there, looking like she was thinking about something. If only he knew what...

Nami realized that Sanji was still in the kitchen, staring at her waiting for a response. She had made up her mind, "Sure,"

Nami got up and walked down the hallway to her room. It wasn't that far, but sitting crossed-legged for a long time can make your legs go numb. So it wasn't that far until her legs crumbled beneath her. "Ahh!" Sanji, seeing this, ran over as quick as possible to her side and caught her before she hit the ground. It worked, but before Sanji could even think, Nami had broke loose from his grasp and almost bolted down the rest of the hallway. She slammed her door and Sanji cringed at the sharp sound. He turned around and sat on the ground with his legs extended out in front of him. "Ah... I think she likes me..."

Nami rushed around her room, thoughts flooding her mind and her heart racing. Thoughts of agreeing to go for a drive with a complete stranger, what Sanji should wear to the store, what people would think seeing them together at the store, and Sanji catching her in the hallway. He could very well have let her fall and not think anything of it... or, that's what _she_ would do to anyone else. How had he gotten to her that fast? She was well away from the kitchen when she fell. She decided not to think anything of it and continued to do what she was doing.

She was _still _in the clothes she wore outside and they were _still _very uncomfortable. The rainwater was starting to dry and was making her shirt and jeans stiff with residue. And she was sure that Sanji was even worse off than her. His clothes were mud-crusted, wet, and a little too small for him. She either had to wash and dry his clothes before they went out, or get some at the store.

It then dawned on her that they need _money_ to buy things. Which they don't necessarily have an abundance of. She could probably scrape up some money from her piggy bank (named Piggy-san xD) Deciding not to be stupid like all of the people in the movies, she decided not to break Piggy-san. He was special, and if she broke him, she could never get him back. Most piggy banks had corks on the bottom anyway. Plus, this wasn't exactly a dire situation. She decided to put opening him _last _on her to-do list, and went over to her dresser to pick out her clothes. Holed jeans and a big, long sleeved T-shirt with some old Japanese kanji that she couldn't understand would do it. She undressed and slipped her clothes on and continued to open Piggy-san with great discomfort.

-Sanji-

Sanji was still in the hallway, thinking about what he should wear. Obviously, people would wonder why his clothes were all... the way they were. And he was sure Nami-san wouldn't be pleased with him looking the way he was.

He had been sitting where he was for about... five minutes and decided that Nami-san wouldn't be back for a while. He stood up and concluded that he would look around for a bit. Hopefully, Nami-san wouldn't come out of her room anytime soon. Should he look around or just sit on the front steps and wait for Nami-san? He picked the latter of the two and walked over to the front steps to wait.

And wait he did, and pretty soon got tired of waiting and went upstairs to look around a bit.

-Nami-

Piggy-san was now open. Depressing her even further. When she opened Piggy-san, he only had about five dollars and fifteen cents inside him. She batted the money around with her fingers and put it back inside her bank. She could always ask Sanji if he had any money, though it was doubtful. She had no choice. She could just go and hope Sanji had money. She shrugged her shoulders. Wasn't her problem. He never asked if she could bring money so it must mean he has money to spend.

She walked to the door closest to the stairs, at the far corner, and opened it.

-Sanji-

Sanji heard a door open and knew Nami was coming out of her room. His heart began to pound faster and he started sweating. What if Nami-san found him upstairs snooping in her house? She would surely kill him, thinking about how she exploded in the bathroom after he touched her face. He shivered and ran as quick as he could down to the stairs. He only got to the third room so he wasn't very far, but it seemed like a thousand miles to the stairs.

Nami noticed that she forgot to put Piggy-san away and closed the door to put him back. She didn't want him to get stolen or ruined by her lazy cat laying somewhere in the house.

Sanji outwardly sighed. That was too close for comfort. If she had seen him, then he would have been dead meat. He walked down the rest of the way and sat at the bottom of the stairs. His heart still racing at a mile per minute. The door to Nami's room reopened and she walked out holding two jackets. She walked up to him and handed him one that looked way to big for even him! A vague thought told him to put it on, but he didn't think that listening to his mind was doing him much good today so he just held it in his arms. Nami noticed this and started to explain. "Okay, here's the deal. I have no extra clothes for you to wear," she started., pointing to the oversized jacket on his left arm, "so you are going to wear this inside the store so no one sees... your clothes in the way that they are." she explained hesitantly.

She slipped on her own jacket and waited while Sanji got lost inside of his own. "Why do you have this jacket? It's way too big for you." he asked, all the while getting his hair stuck on the zipper. He fumbled with it as Nami explained.

"Well, it's not even mine so...yeah. I don't even know. I think it was Bellemère's husbands." she told him. Watching with amusement as Sanji wrestled with the defective jacket zipper.

Sanji stopped for a moment, "Bellemère? Who's that?" he continued but stopped suddenly, "Is she your sister?" he added with a bit of hope in his voice.

"No, Bellemère isn't my sister. She's my foster mother. But I do have a sister. Her name is Nojiko... I think she's a little older than you. She's either 20 or 21. I forgot." she pulled his hair out quickly from the zipper and continued. "So, how old are you?" she asked, trying not to sound at all interested, adding to this by picking at her fingernails.

Sanji looked almost too happy to speak. _That might be a good thing..._ He turned toward her, sporting his big fluffy jacket, and bowed, "I, my wonderful Nami-san, am at the age of 19 years." he straitened back up and looked her in the eyes with his one. "And what, my I ask, is your age, my Nami-san?"

Nami looked at her feet and shifted a little. Should she really be telling him all of this information about herself and her family? She looked back at him. He was beaming like an idiot. She almost laughed out loud at his chivalry and fanciness. _I guess it wouldn't hurt... _She bowed like he did before, "I, Sanji, am at the age of 18 years." she straitened back up and saw Sanji looked a little shocked.

"Nami-san, you don't have to bow for me." He opened the door. It switched back to rain since they came inside, though much heavier than before. Sanji grabbed the umbrella she had when they met and opened it outside. "After you, Nami-san," Nami put her hood up and stepped outside into the cold September air and Sanji followed close after holding the umbrella for both of them.

While Sanji was positively glowing, Nami couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with him being so close to her. He obviously forgot about what happened in the bathroom earlier. She didn't, especially since Sanji couldn't exactly see the hand shaped bruise sporting his left cheek. They walked in silence to the driveway and got into the car at the far end. Nami's car wasn't the best car in the world. For a thousand dollars she got a little black car that wasn't in the best of shape. But hey, it got you places!

They got in it and stared out of the windshield. The water cascaded down the front like a mini waterfall and fell off to the sides like rivers. It was raining _really _hard today. Nami started thinking about what they were going to do at the store. All of her previous thoughts flooding back at the same time. To say the least, it gave her a headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sat further back in her seat. Sanji, noticing this, was concerned but decided to say nothing, she needed to think for a while. He turned the key several times but the engine wouldn't turn over...

Nami looked over from her thinking and almost laughed. "Sorry, Sanji, my car doesn't like to start in the rain. It's kind of stupid huh?" She laughed out loud and told him more information. "You need to do something to the engine out there or something... I'll go," she started to get up and Sanji stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. Nami stiffened and glared at his hand. He drew it back almost immediately.

"Don't worry, Nami. I'll do it for you. It'll only take a moment," he opened the door and got out of his seat. "Just wait here. I will be back soon." He slammed the door shut and opened the umbrella. Nami watched as Sanji walked out the car door and around the front of the car. The hood popped open and she knew that his would take a while. Since she didn't give him much description on what to do. She snuggled into the big jacket and seat and felt her headache just melt away. _This is going to be one interesting trip to the store._ she thought with a grin. And gradually, listening to the soft thuds and creaks from outside, she fell into a light, peaceful sleep.

--

Yay! The chapter was longer! I knew I could make five pages... I have a question for all of those who actually read this part of the story. If I ever finish this story, should I make a companion piece with Sanji's side of the story? It sounds kind of interesting and fun. You could understand why he was there better and how he feels... and what he thinks. Don't worry, I'd make it censored... lol! Well, if you thinks it's a good idea, then leave a review with your ideas and comments! That's about it... I hope you liked this installment of Windows to the Soul! -XD


	11. Shopping: part 1

Whoever invented cantaloupe is my best friend... _Hugs cantaloupe_... since I'm eating cantaloupe, I've decided to put it in the chapter! I just ate a boatload of it and I am getting high off of it I think... so don't be scared if this chapter is strange! Maybe I'm just getting hyper on the natural sugar... either way, enjoy chapter 11 of Windows to the Soul!

Again, reviewers get my thanks

(( Mirathin ))- I don't blame you if your computer broke down, I don't mind... but you reviewed! That's what really counts... I like how you ended your review, it made me laugh! Haha...

(( Sanji-luver ))-Thank you... mundane means boring and routine right?... I think so... well it makes sense in your review haha... And everyone knows how you feel about Piggy-san, it's just the natural reaction of someone with a heart...

(( Kattea ))- I may have the energy for the companion piece, I just need to get through his one first. Piggy-san is kawaii isn't he? Everyone loves him! And Luffy and co. may be in this chapter but I'm not making any promises...

Yay! Let's learn Japanese!...

_Hai _- means: _Yes_, or _okay_... (pronounced: Hi)

_Oi _- means: Hey!

Yay! Let's learn Italian!...(I don't know any Italian, so please don't hurt me if I got this wrong)

_Mezzodi _- means: _noon __12 o'clock _(let's hope...)

-

((RECAP- She snuggled into the big jacket and seat and felt her headache just melt away. 'This is going to be an interesting trip to the store.' she thought with a grin. And gradually, listening to the soft thuds and creaks from outside, she fell into a light, peaceful sleep.))

Yay!!! Story time!!! XD

---

Rain...

Yes, rain was one of the most beautiful natural works of art. It fell in drops like her even breaths... Hit the ground and rang like her laughter... But it could never match the beauty of Nami-san when she's sleeping...

Sanji stared at her through the windshield, almost forgetting what his natural objective was. Remembering that he was outside, in the rain, in September, fixing a car, kind of brought him back to doing this grievous task he had set fourth for himself.

His natural objective huh? If only he knew what that was... He never really asked Nami-san what he had to do, he just ran off thinking he knew what he was doing. What had to be fixed? What had to be moved or put in? He couldn't ask Nami-san because she was sleeping, and flowers don't wake until they feel like it. (What poetry... sarcasm)

So, since he was confused, he decided that he was just going to mess around with the car and hope that he fixes it. He set fourth with his task and started _working_. Took things out... put things back in... until this wire that he was holding accidently got pulled, it made this... zapping sound? Well, it didn't sound good, let's put it like that.

Scared, Sanji didn't dare to move. Did he wake Nami-san? Did he break _her _car? He hoped not. Anyway, he got back into the driver's seat and tried starting the car. He closed his eyes and turned the key. And by some miracle, the car started! The rumbling of the car brought Nami back to the real world.

She smiled and sat back farther into the seat. "I was having the weirdest dream, Bellemère. There was this guy I found in the side alley, and we were going shopping," she started laughing. "Isn't that weird,... Belle...mère?" she looked over to see none other than Sanji. She just stared at him like she's never seen him in her life. "So it wasn't a dream, huh?" questioned Nami.

"Sorry," Sanji honestly didn't feel sorry. He was actually very glad he met Nami. He was almost having thoughts that he was dreaming also because this was almost too good to be true. Not even his parents had been this nice to him before. But considering they needed to go shopping pretty soon and he was wet, he decided to get going.

He leaned over Nami and started reaching for her seatbelt but Nami just plainly slapped his hand away. She gave him an I-know-you're-doing-something-nice-but-let-me-do-it kind of look. He brought his hand back and placed it on the steering wheel. Waiting for Nami to finish with her seatbelt.

Sanji looked into the mirror and fixed it so he could see, and started backing out of the driveway.

-Nami-

She really thought she was dreaming, in her room, on a normal day with nothing strange happening at all. But, here she was. In her car with a homeless man, going shopping for food and stuff. It was all happening too fast. She felt her headache ebb back into her temples and rubbed them slowly. Sanji looked over, noticing, but yet again not saying anything.

He backed the rest if the way out of the driveway and started down the road. He drove so smoothly, that Nami almost fell back to sleep. But she willed herself to stay awake, so she could think about what was happening in depth...

_I spy with my little eye something... blue! _maybe she wasn't thinking in depth, but it's kind of hard playing this game by yourself!_ ... sky, car, Sanji's shirt..._ she mentally slapped herself across the face. She was supposed to be looking the other way... out the window. But her eyes just seemed to drift over to him. Even though he looked so battered up and his clothes were a mess, he looked so handsome... she only realized she was staring when Sanji cleared his throat in self-consciousness.

She darted her eyes away as fast as she could, and turned a bright shade of red. Trying to cover her face, Sanji leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You okay? You seem... distracted." Nami felt the deep hate rise up in her. She felt the urge to slap him but stopped, apprehending that he was driving the car. She felt her anger boil when she realized she couldn't hit him. _When we get out of the car, he won't be able to see his new clothes._

"You just wait..." she tried to sound as threatening as she could...it kind of worked...

She heard Sanji feign a gasp, "Is that a threat?" she could tell he was joking, but decided to take it seriously.

"No, Sanji, that's a promise..." she crossed her arms and stared out the window, suppressing a laugh.

"Ouch... that hurt, deep..." he said as he took a left into the PrestoMart (fake-o store) parking lot. He drove around, looking for a parking spot while Nami's heart beat a thousand beats per second. _There are too many cars here. Which means more people, and more people to see me and Sanji together._ What if someone from school saw her? I guess it wouldn't hurt if Luffy saw her, but if those popular _people _saw her with him, they could think that she and him were... together... or that she was just as homeless as him.

She took a big gulp and unbuckled her seatbelt, all the while her hands were shaking with fear and anxiety. She got out and looked over at Sanji. Though she could barely see, his hair was a little messed up from the rain, so she decided to fix it. Sanji was still in the car so she got back in. She grabbed a little comb out of her bag and leaned over. "Sanji, come here." She saw him jump and lean over immediately. She combed the first part of his hair on the right side of his face and worked over to the left. She wanted to see what his eye looked like, but thought that he had it covered for a reason so she left it alone. She leaned further across him so she could reach the back of his head. She had to almost rest her head on his shoulder, but he turned just a little and her head touched him. She could hear his heart beat faster and finished quicker. _That's weird._ she shook it off and put the comb back in her purse.

"What was that for?" Nami looked at him like he had asked the most stupid question in the world. Which, he got pretty close to.

"Your hair was a little messed up by the rain so I decided to fix it. Since my hair wasn't screwed up, I decided to do yours."she paused, "It's an unconscious habit," she swung her legs out of the car and yelled back to him, "Come on, I'm getting wet and you have the umbrella."

Sanji just stared at her and grabbed the umbrella from the floor, "Hai, Nami-san!" he exclaimed with hearts emanating from him. He got out and kind of... floated over to Nami. Thank goodness Nami didn't notice. They walked in silence through the parking lot.

"You had to park so far from the door, didn't you?" They kept walking. "I mean, it's bad enough it's raining. And it's even worse that we're walking _through _it." Sanji didn't say anything, and they kept walking despite Nami's whining, which tore Sanji apart piece by piece inside I'm sure. Once they got to the overhang, Sanji folded the umbrella back up and shook out the rain that still clung to the sides.

He looked down at Nami. Taking a lock of her hair in his fingers he said, "Your hair is soaked, even though we had the umbrella..." he trailed off while reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. To Nami's surprise, it was really clean. _He probably cleaned it while he was getting cleaned up in the bathroom._ He took her hair in his hands and wiped it dry with the handkerchief, all the while, her eyes were half-hooded with irritation. "There you go. Let's get going, we have lots of things to pick up while we're here."

They walked inside and Sanji wheeled out a grocery cart and put the wet umbrella in the front opening part. "So, where do we start?" Nami asked indifferently. She took off her coat and Sanji moved to do the same until Nami stopped him. "No, Sanji. Keep your coat on." Sanji looked at her, confused.. "Come over here," she led him to a deserted place next to the shopping carts and pulled him and her down onto the floor. "I know you know you look... bad. And I think you know that I am not exactly well known yet around here... wait, you actually _shouldn't _but anyway," she drew him closer by his tie, "let's get this straight, you look homeless and if people I _know_," she made quote marks with her two fingers, "were to somehow see me, they would think I'm homeless too and they would pick on me... and you. So keep it on for both of us."

Sanji seemed to tense a little. "Okay, Nami-san," he looked at her, "you can let go of my tie now," he moved forward a little, "or we can stay back here an--" Nami didn't let him finish his sentence. She stopped him by slapping him across the face.

She stood up, "Get up you pervert," Sanji stood up as well, cradling his beaten face. He faced her, only to come in contact with her palm again. "And that's for in the car," She walked up to the grocery cart and started wheeling the cart into the store further. Sanji put one of his hands on the handle and stopped it. "What are you doing?" Nami challenged.

Sanji just stood there and looked down at Nami, "Ladies shouldn't have to work. Let me do it." He gave her the list of items he had made before they left. "Do you want to read off the items while we walk," he smiled, "It'll make this go faster."

Nami looked up at Sanji, "I actually made myself a little list of non-food items, so sure. This is how I used to shop all the time with Bellemère." She gripped at the side of the cart and started walking along with the carriage. They only walked in a couple of seconds and Nami stopped walking, her eyes wide.

"Nami-san., what's wrong? Are you okay?" _Bellemère!_

"Sanji, what time is it?" she looked around frantically. Sanji looked at her strangely.

"I-I'm not sure, Nami-san, I don't have a watch on me. Why?" Nami started pacing.

She stopped pacing long enough to glare at Sanji, "Don't question me, mister." she turned back around and ran up to the first person she could find. In her case, it was a small, old lady. When Nami ran up to her, she seemed to have a heart attack. "Lady, you need to tell me what time it is." the old lady just stared at Nami and continued walking. "Oi, lady, tell me what time it is or I will 'accidentally' take your purse to pay for my groceries." the old lady seemed to be paying attention now. She started taking out a silver object from her purse and flipped open the cover. Slowly..._very _slowly. She frowned at the object and held down a button, confirming what the object was. It was a cell phone. Nami was getting annoyed. The cell phone made a sound and the lady stared at the bottom corner.

The lady looked to Nami. She seemed, to Nami, lack the concept of speed. Then she spoke, "Mezzodi,"

Nami stared at the lady, wide-eyed and mouth agape. The lady smiled at her. Regaining her composure, Nami closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes. She turned around and started walking away. "Goodbye," The lady still smiled and started wheeling her carriage away. Nami turned to Sanji and stared at him for a good minute and started to whine, "Sanji! I need to know what time it is and no one will tell me! People are so unfair..." she looked as if she were about to cry.

Sanji walked over to her and went to place a hand on her shoulder, but thought twice about it and pulled his hand away hesitantly. Instead he decided to just talk to her. "There, there. It's okay." he looked around and watched the people around him stare and whisper. He glared at them and they dispersed, apparently scared for their lives. "I'll go find out what time it is..." he left Nami with the carriage and walked over to a guy who obviously didn't see Sanji's death glare. He poked him in the back and said man spun around. "Hey, what time is it?"

The guy looked at the watch adorning his hand... "It's, uh, noon."

Sanji said his thanks and walked away towards Nami, she looked a lot better and was standing next to the cart nonchalantly, waiting for Sanji to get back from his little errand. He walked up next to her and told her what he knew, "It's 12 o'clock, Nami," Nami seemed to contemplate this, "Why?"

"Uh... no reason, just wondering." they continued walking, "Kind of early isn't it?"

"Hai, Nami-san..." he seemed to think a bit. They collected half of the list of food items and Nami continued thinking about how they were going to pay for it all. Sanji interrupted her thinking to ask , "What's next on the list, Nami-san?"

She snapped back and read the next item on the list, "uh... cantaloupe? What do we need that for?" she really didn't care in the least, but it gave her something to talk about.

"I plan on making something special," he looked over at her, "just for you, Nami-san." Nami just nodded her head, not really paying attention. She thought for a little while and looked back up suddenly. She had an idea! She stored her idea into the back of her head and replayed it over and over again. This was so going to work.

They walked over to the fruit section. Piles of fruit just lay there and look nice, no one really buys them. Almost like they say, _'Who eats healthy anymore?'_. Sanji wheeled the cart over to some pale orangey-green colored fruit... cantaloupe. He picked one up and smelled the outside of the skin. Nami just watched, confused, scared, and... couldn't stop watching. She couldn't keep quiet. "Ano, Sanji, why are you sniffing a fruit?"

Sanji laughed, "When you smell the outside of a fruit like this, you can tell how ripe it is my how sweet it smells." he held it up to her face, "You smell it," Nami looked at it, uncertain and sniffed at it lightly. "Can you smell anything?" he inquired. Nami sniffed at it again, it smelled quite sweet, but it was dulled by the thick skin. She nodded. "Good, that's a ripe one." he put it in the carriage. "Can you get two more of those for me? Just make sure that they are ripe." he said, tapping his nose. Nami didn't smile, she was too tired. She picked out two more and sniffed them, they were pretty ripe. She threw them in the carriage unceremoniously and walked off to meet Sanji and see what he was doing. He was over near the vegetables, holding them in his arms and he walked back over and dropped them too onto the carriage.

They continued this and collected all of the items on the food list. Now, they needed to get the clothing and other goods and they were ready to go.

---

Yay! We just learned how to tell if cantaloupe is ripe! And if anyone wants a map of Nami's house, just ask.

Also, can someone remind me when they review about these two items? Just call me Nami Nusubito!

and

Just call me Sanji Itamae!

They are real important so please just add it into your review at the bottom and it will make me UBER happy XD. R&R!


	12. Shopping: part 2

I'm sorry that you guys had to wait so long but I hope you can forgive me as you read this chapter. Okay, today I didn't eat any cantaloupe, so you don't have to worry -lol- So, I hope you enjoy this chapter of Windows to the Soul!

((Disclaimer - I don't know about you but I could never in my life come up with anything as brilliant as One Piece. Only Eiichiro Oda can do that...))

Reviewers are Fun!

(( Mirathin ))- Thank you for adding those, uh, sayings? I would have forgotten them -lol- I am going to add them into this chapter (let's hope)! Yes, you also got those two Japanese words right! 'gives gold star' thanks for reviewing!

(( Kattea ))- Your welcome! I was kind of thinking of Miroku from Inuyasha when I typed that... oops. He is very much like that. You should try writing an AU of your own, it's really fun!

(( bazts ))- Thanks very much. I will try to update as much as I possibly can. XD

(( Sanji-luver ))- Actually, I think Sanji was a little on the perverted side in that chapter... Has a little of Miroku in him I see! I love your little smiley thing... very awesome! I never would have thought of that...

(( xrandii ))- Yay! A first-time reader of my story. I've done what you did so many times... even when the stories are all finished. -lol- Plus, thank you for adding those two important little things I asked for people to put in their reviews. Ha, you thought it was Zolo... he has green hair... not blonde silly! Thanks for reviewing! You came at a good time.

((RECAP - They continued this and collected all of the items on the food list. Now, they needed to get the clothing and other goods and they were ready to go.))

---

"Nami-san," Sanji began, pushing the grocery cart, "If you want, you can look around. I'll be over here checking ou– " He stopped in mid-sentence. Apparently, he just noticed that they had no money.

Nami already had a plan. Well thought out -at least to her- and doable. "Sanji, come over here." she called dully. She pulled him behind a shelf and looked around for any people. There was none. "Okay, I have a plan." she pulled him in closer and whispered as to not let anyone hear. "Here's how it goes." Sanji just listened to her brilliant plan. "I know that the clerk over at that one cash register is a major flirt. If I can, I will see if I can use that weakness to wiggle free of paying. In the meantime, We are going to see if we can get some more things in that deal. Okay?" She released him and he straightened his suit beneath his jacket.

"Hai, Nami-san." (I have a feeling that he will be saying this a lot) she could tell from his expression that he was worried about being caught. There was really no reason to worry. _I hope._

Nami walked around the men's section with Sanji, looking for something that he could wear. But Nami heard an all-to-familiar voice. She looked around a corner behind a shelf. Sanji, confused beyond reason, moved to do the same, but Nami put a hand on his chest to hold him back. "Shh..." Nami's heart almost stopped, behind the shelf of over-shirts was the last person she wanted to see, Buggy. And with him was the girl she assumed to be Alvida. She saw her around school some, but didn't think much of her. Apparently she was one of 'them' too.

She saw they were walking toward them and she panicked. She looked around and there just happened to be a clothing rack right behind them... yeah, so they jumped in it. Sanji began to mumble a protest but Nami put a hand to his mouth. She could feel his face growing hot. She turned around and whispered lightly, "Sanji, I need you to be _very _quiet, okay?" he nodded in understanding.

She heard them talking close to the rack and parted some clothes to hear what they were saying.

"Hey, Alvida, did you meet the new kid in school the other day? She's such a wimp, she was so scared of me that she practically ran away. Thank goodness that she's not in any of my classes, how about you?" Alvida just looked as if she didn't hear him and looked toward the clothes rack that Nami and Sanji were in. Nami quickly drew the parted clothes together.

"Yes, Buggy, she's in one of my classes." she trailed off, "Do you think that she shops here as well?" she said silkily, turning toward him.

He shivered, "I hope not," She turned back for a second and peeked a smile through her red-painted lips. "Why?"

She quietly laughed, "No reason really, just curious."

Nami watched as they walked by, disgusted that they are even in the store to begin with. After she was sure that they were gone, she grabbed Sanji and jumped back out of the clothing rack. She could almost hear him ask why they were hiding in the clothing rack. Then she actually heard him, "Ano na, Nami-san, why–?" she cut him off

"Don't worry about it, those are just two people that I just can't stand." she glared at the spot where they just departed. "Well, now that _that's _over with, let's get going." she climbed out of the rack, walked off and started looking through suitable clothes that Sanji could wear.

She had gone through the first rack of clothes and moved on to the next one. She knew something wasn't right, she didn't know what size of clothing he wore. "Ano, Sanji-kun, what size are you?" He just stared at her strangely, "Of clothing, I mean." He nodded and walked over to her.

"I am sorry I didn't answer right away, I didn't know what you meant," he crouched down next to her and they looked through the clothing. "I don't really know what sizes I am." Nami stopped and thought.

"Okay, you know the tags on the insides of your clothes? Well, you go into the dressing room and tell me what they say. For your shirts the tags should have a capitalized letter and the pants should have a number." she pointed her finger toward a clerk desk and some doors. "Go over there and check out the tags, be sure to go into the _mens _dressing room." she gave him a knowing glance. He stood up and straightened his clothes, walking away.

He turned back around to look at Nami. He took a deep bow, "You have no need to worry about me." he stood back up and stared back down at her, "I am sorry about how I acted before, I hope you can forgive me." he then turned around and started walking toward the dressing rooms. Nami stifled a laugh at him, he talked so politely. But I guess it was heartfelt. If you don't mean something, you start talking a bit in improper language. Nami thought about this, for some stupid reason. _Why do people do that? What about people who always talk polite?_ as people walked by they saw Nami just hanging out of a clothes rack, deep in thought. _Do they talk politely when they don't mean it and even more politely when they're not? Or do the-_ she got caught off when a throat was cleared in front of her. She looked up and found Sanji standing right in front of her.

Shocked, Nami stood up as fast as she could and whilst doing do hit her head on a bar connecting one side of the rack to the other. In other words, she got a_ boo-boo_, and now is in immense pain. "Ow... that really hurt." she whimpered while rubbing her head. As Sanji just watched, deciding once again not to go near her, he thought about what he should say.

"Are you okay, Nami-san? Do you want me to help?" he looked quite concerned.

"Nah, I'm good, Sanji. Just a bump." Some clothes had dropped when she stood up and she picked them up. As soon as she reached down she felt a sharp pain spread through her arm. She could feel her arm turn warm and wet. She looked to her shoulder and saw a crimson stain seep through her shirt. "Oh, geez." she turned to Sanji. "Uh, Sanji, do you think you could pick these clothes up for me. I, uh, gotta... go?"

Sanji just gave her a strange look. "Sure, but whe-"

"Bathroom! I gotta go to the bathroom!"she climbed out of the rack and flattened her shirt with her hands." As she walked by, she held her arm, hoping no one would see her... Hopes always get crushed don't they? Because out from behind a clothes shelf, a stores clerk popped out from behind it.

"Hello there! My name is Diana, would you like some assistance today?" Nami decided to judge her, not feeling in the mood. _Too happy, smiles too much... don't like her._

"Uh, actually yeah. Do you know where the bathrooms are? I'm kind of lost. I don't usually come here." She said quickly, knowing that the more time she wasted, the more blood she would lose.

"Of course!" she pointed her finger, "Do you see that sign?" Nami nodded. "Well, the bathrooms are over there. I there anything else I can help you with?" Nami shook her head. "Okay, enjoy your stay at PrestoMart!"

Almost as soon as she stopped talking, Nami rushed over to the restrooms. Looking around to make sure no one else was in there too, she started undoing her bandages. _Great, it opened up again. _Since the bandages were now soaked with blood, she decided to not use them. She looked around for something to use as a make-shift bandage. _Toilet paper? No, too thin. Paper towels? No, too rough and stiff. _Even though she didn't want the paper towels, she quickly wrapped her wound in them and looked outside the restroom door. Just as she hoped, there were clothes right outside.

She picked up a long-sleeved shirt and went back inside the bathroom. While walking in she locked the door behind her. She then walked into one of the stalls and started ripping the shirt._ What no one knows wont hurt them._ she thought with a grin. The shirt being ripped, she started wrapping the cut with it. She ended it under her arm with a knot, so no one could see it, threw the rest of the shirt in the trash can and covered it with paper towels.

She walked out of the bathrooms and walked over to where Sanji was left. To her surprise, he was there. _I thought for sure he would have walked off without me._ She walked up to him. "So, did you find anything?"

"No, Nami-san. I was only standing here for about two minutes." He looked over her a bit, and his eyes landed on her arm. With shock and worry, he decided this time he had to say something, "Nami-san, are you okay? Your arm, it's red."

Furious that he noticed, Nami turned around sharply and glared at him. "What about it? It's red?" she looked down at her arm again, the spot had grown significantly larger. Before, the spot had only been a small spot spreading slowly. Now it was large and had stopped spreading. It was also starting to dry and turn brown at the edges. _Great_.

"Do you want some help? I could ask someone in the store." Nami looked back up at him and grabbed him by his collar and dragged his face so it was almost touching hers.

"I don't ask for help. I don't _need _help. I just need to get back home and clean up a bit." she let go of him, "But first we need to get this shopping done. Come on, we still need to find you some clothes.

"Hai, Nami-san. But I thought I saw something over there that I would like to check out."

"Fine, I'll just be over here looking for some clothes for you." she stopped, "Wait. I don't even know your sizes. Tell them to me." Sanji told her his sizes (sorry, don't care enough to give real sizes). "Okay, we'll meet back here when we're done okay?" with that they both walked off in their separate directions.

---

Okay, okay, I know I haven't updated in like... ever. But I updated now so please don't kill me. And for those of you who put in the -just call me blah blah blah...- things, I'm sorry that I didn't use them. I couldn't fit them in anywhere, it was getting long, and I was taking too long to update any way. I'm also taking out the im sorry chapter so it'll still have 12 chapters but... yeah, I can't explain it. I also have another thing to ask, if any of you think that anyone is OOC please tell me, because I think some people are out of it. Anyway, please review! - Kage XD


	13. Shopping: part 3

Hey guys! I'm finally back. Right now I feel like crap. I'm coughing, sniffling, sore throat, and other things that are too troublesome to mention... Anyway, I was either being lazy or was somewhere else and not able to type my story. I noticed that I had spelled ano wrong (ano: um, err, hey), it's supposed to be anou. But I hope I can type it without the u without people killing me about it. Also, I decided also not to blab so much in this paragraph this time, as to not bore you too much and let you read, so, go on. Read the story! And enjoy the next chapter of Windows to the Soul!

But first I must thank my reviewers xD

(( Mirathin ))- Thank you. I hope you like your golden star!

(( Bear ))- Thanks for the review.

(( from kages cousin hunter ))- And that sleep over was fun. I can't wait until you come back from Pennsylvania and Virginia!

(( Do Wop ))- I can tell you don't like my story very much... But I thank you anyway for the criticism. It may actually help. I just wished you could have put that in a PM. ;

(( Sanji-luver ))I know you reviewed twice because of the I'm Sorry chapter and the last chapter. But don't make fun of me because I'm in middle school. Well, I'm going into high school this year! Everyone be happy! I'm not going to comment on the other review because it has nothing to do with me. -lol-

(( xrandii ))- I know you reviewed for the I'm Sorry chapter but I still wanted to put you in. Sorry I didn't update earlier. ;;

GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!

(( RECAP- Okay, we'll meet back here when we're done okay?" with that they both walked off in their separate directions.))

---

-Sanji-

Sanji was walking around in the shirts section. Deep in thought. Mostly about Nami and the cut or whatever it was on her arm. She seems like she didn't want to talk about it and she rejected all help people would give her. At least, the only people who tried to help her was him. She must be one of those people who believe they can do everything themselves.

In reality, Sanji only came over to the shirt section to think about this a bit. But he should get going to Nami if he didn't want to get her mad. With that he started running off toward where he last saw Nami.

-Nami-

_Okay, my arm should stop bleeding soon if I apply pressure and wrap it in a clean cloth or bandage._ she stopped thinking for a second. _I still need clothes for school. Better throw some more things into the deal. _she quickly looked through the racks and picked out several outfits (Too lazy too look at them, plus I hate fashion).

While picking out clothes, Nami thought about school, Luffy almost immediately came to mind. She still wanted to meet his friends and kept thinking about this Zoro person Luffy told her about. He was obviously a close friend, and he sounded interesting. Apparently he can't find his way around school... she may have to teach him some things. But she would need to know the school first.

From behind her, she heard footsteps approach on the glossy tile floors. Sanji appeared into view as she turned around. Being on the tile made her think of his shoes. She totally forgot about shoes! _How could I forget something like that?_ she asked herself. _At school, the first things most people look at is your shirt and your shoes. _She looked down at his shoes. They were sort of fancy. What she could tell was that they were black with tie-up laces. That under all the dirt and mud crusted on the top and sides. Then she looked at her own shoes; plain, black sneakers, but they were clean.

"Ano, Sanji, did you find what you were looking for?"

"Hai, Nami-san. I found what I was looking for, but it turned out that I didn't want it," he walked toward the carriage and gripped the bar. "shall we continue?"

"Yes, Sanji. We shall continue." they started walking and Nami stated that they should go to the shoe section. They arrived. Nami took the carriage from Sanji and parked it next to an aisle. "So," she leaned on the carriage, "what kind of shoes do you like?" Sanji looked down at his feet.

"I like these ones. But other than that, I really don't know any other kinds of shoes." Nami thought about this. _I could always get him the same shoes._ she moved and sat on a bench. _But I should show him some new shoes. It wont matter how expensive they are if my plan works well enough!_ "Okay, Sanji. Did you want to look at new shoes or find something similar to yours?"

He looked hesitant. "I really like these kind of shoes, so I'll look for something similar to these." Nami nodded and turned. "Wait! But these shoes were sort of expensive. I don't want you to spend something like that on me." Nami laughed.

Sanji looked puzzled. "Remember the plan? Don't worry about it." she walked over to him and extended her hand. "Give me one of your shoes." Sanji reluctantly pulled off one of his shoes and handed it to her. She checked inside, and as a result, her eyes widened considerably, "Your feet are huge! Let's hope they have something in your size." she handed the shoe back to him and he placed it at his side. Nami walked away in search of a shoe.

Sanji just turned around pretending to do something and gushed to himself, "Nami-san touched my shoes!"

"Sanji, you going to help look for some shoes? Or are you just going to sit there while _I _search for _your _shoes myself?" _That should get him._

Sanji seemed to sing, "Coming, Nami-san!" He half glided over to her and started looking.

After what seemed to be two minutes, Nami called out, "I found some shoes in your size!" Sanji came over casually and looked down at them.

He frowned, "I don't think I would like wearing them very much." he looked down at his shoes.

Nami looked confused, "Why not? Aren't they the same thing as your wearing?" she looked at the side of the box. It had all of the same info except for one thing, color. "Pink?" she held the box in her hand for a few seconds before throwing it to the sides in disgust. "I don't believe I just touched something pink!" she looked over where they just were. The same shoes Sanji was wearing had three colors and she wandered into one of them by mistake. "If they have this shoe in this size in pink, they must have this shoe this size but in black." she started looking around in the black shoes and pulled one out. "Yay for me... I found it."

Sanji looked joyed, but then his smile faded, serious. "Okay now, what's the plan?" Nami put a finger to her lips.

"Shh! Don't talk so loud." she said semi-scornfully. "First, we will try these on and then pay for them." she turned and headed for a little bench. Sanji stood there, dumbstruck.

"That's your plan? Look at the price tag!"

Nami shook her head. "Just come over here. I need to tell you something." Sanji walked over, unsure what she would do to him. "A bit closer." he leaned next to her ear. "Okay, there was a stores clerk behind you, I didn't want to shout the plan out so he could hear it too. So here it is..." Sanji made himself more comfortable by kneeling on the carpeted floor as Nami told him her ingenious plan. (Please don't try this plan. I don't want people getting in trouble.)

Sanji sat on the floor and took off his other shoe, he had carried his other shoe with him. Nami took out his new shoes and put the box aside for now. They got back up and walked around a bit, pretending to search for more shoes. A minute later, they went back to the shoes and Sanji put on the new ones and tied them up. "Do they fit good?" Nami asked.

"Hai. I'm going to get them." he covered the tops of the shoes with his pants and Nami got up.

She whispered down to him, "Are there any cameras on the ceiling?" casually, he looked up and looked around.

"Hai, there is one directly behind you." she nodded and kneeled with the box in front of her. She placed Sanji's old shoes in the shoe box and placed it back on the shelf. They looked around a bit and left. They walked in silence for a while and Sanji seemed anxious. He started fidgeting and finally talked, "Nami-san, are you sure we wont get caught? I mean, I know you wouldn't let us get caught, but I'm still worried.

Nami stared ahead. "No one will notice. You said that the only camera was behind me right?" he nodded, "Then we shouldn't get caught if they didn't see us. Besides, you could have bought shoes yesterday and came shopping with me today." Sanji's face lifted a bit, but he still looked worried.

They walked back over to the men's section and picked out some outfits for him and some other necessities. Sanji walked over to a booth in the main aisle. The booth was labeled '_glasses'_. Nami looked the stand over. "Sanji, you wear glasses?" she picked up a pair and put them on. The room turned blurry and she paced them back on the counter slowly, hoping not to fall face first on the hard, tiled floor.

"No I don't. But I would like to see if I could get some sunglasses." he picked out a yellow pair and put them in front of him. "Ano, Nami-san, could come over here?" Nami walked over and looked at him.

"Did you find something you wanted?" he nodded. She whispered, "Are there any cameras?" yet again, he nodded. "Where?"

"To my right and behind me." she processed the information and started formulating.

"Okay, I got it." she put her back to the camera on his right and kept him where he was. She made sure the clerk wasn't looking and slipped the pair of glasses into her sleeve. "Let's go, we can get sunglasses another time. They walked away and stopped in the main aisle. "Do we have everything?" she looked in the carriage. "Good grief, we got sure do." the carriage was full to the brim. She looked to him, "we got enough stuff?" she added sarcastically.

Sanji decided not to answer. "I hope your plan works." he spoke softly. She nodded and looked to the floor.

"Hopefully that guy is still on his shift." she started walking towards the check out lines. "We're in trouble if he isn't." they looked down the lines and searched for him. To no avail. "Darn... I guess we'll have to find another way." Nami looked around and spotted some cashier flirting with a customer. She grinned wickedly. "I have another plan. You wait here until I come out of the bathroom. Then you go to this cash register. Got it?

He nodded, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry," she walked away, "If know one thing, it's how to make my plans work."

---

Okay, this chapter is kind of short. But I hope you liked it anyway!

I hope you liked my shoe paragraph! I didn't put much detail into it but I'm sure you don't mind. I'm sorry that I didn't put any description at all into the outfits she picked out, but I hate fashion and I am lazy enough not to care Please review!


	14. The Plan and Scars

Hey guys! The last chapter was, amazingly, done in one day. Which, I doubt, this chapter will be. I guess you'll find out at the end eh? I realized that in the last chapter I made some mistakes... Maybe it was on the account that I don't care or that I was sick and didn't notice. I'll never find out. I wanted to thank you for 3,000 hits, but I forgot... I'm almost at 4,000 so I'll thank you then. And who cares if the hits don't actually mean someone read it? People acknowledged my story and that's good enough for me! XD I hope I didn't blab too much... I hope you enjoy this chapter of Windows to the Soul!!!

But I must first thank the reviewers!

(( Bear ))- Wow! You like my story THAT much?! Thank you so much.

(( Mirathin ))- Thank you for the review! I hope I can get you a new star someday!

(( Sanji-luver ))- I liked that part also! It's so like Sanji. And I hope you can refrain from going through with Nami's plan. I know someone who did this and they almost got caught! I guess that's what happens when you're too poor to buy shoes...

From now on, the first part of every chapter will be in Sanji's POV. Just so you know. XD

Let's Learn Japanese!

_Nusubito _- thief

_Ne _- is it so?/ right?

ON WITH THE STORY!!!

(( RECAP- "Don't worry," she walked away, "If know one thing, it's how to make my plans work."))

---

-Sanji-

He watched as Nami walked toward a cash register. He turned toward the carriage and arranged the objects within. What had Nami been thinking? What was she planning? He looked to the cash register she heading toward. The cashier was talking to some girl, and she was liking it. Apparently he was flirting with her. He could tell by the little laugh she made when he told her something. A small giggle covered by sly fingertips. He saw that so many times.

-Nami-

She walked over to the clerk, swinging her hips slightly. _I have to feel it_, she thought, _I have to feel flirty._ She looked on as the girl he was talking to noticed her and glared. Nami glared back. As she walked up to the clerk she narrowed her eyes softly and spoke smoothly. "Excuse me, but do you know where I can find the bathrooms?" _Let's hope this works_. He looked up from the girl and laid his eyes on her.

As soon as his eyes landed they widened. He turned toward the girl and excused himself. "I'll see you later, doll. I got to go to work." with that he placed a kiss on her cheek, placed on his uniform cap and left her. She walked away and Nami watched as she glared one last time before going out the door. The man turned to her. "Now, what was it you needed?" he asked, trying to be smooth to no avail.

Nami winced inwardly after he spoke. His breath smelled like alcohol. _Surely you're not allowed to drink while working?_ Nami wondered silently. She smiled seductively but smirked evilly on the inside._ This may be easier that I thought_. "Yeah, I need to find the bathrooms. But I have no idea where to find them." she stated in a helpless voice. "Can you show me where they are?" she stroked his arm. "It would sure help me a lot."

The man looked up, excited. "Sure I can help you find them, do I get a reward later?" he asked, obviously a hopeless flirt.

_Oh man, this is too easy_. She nodded. "Of course, what kind of person doesn't give," she stroked his cheek, "a man like you, a reward for finding something she can't find?" _I got him now._

The man swallowed lightly. "I will help you find them, just count on me." he bowed slightly and walked off next to Nami. She looked over her shoulder at Sanji. He was watching her walk toward the bathrooms with the cashier. _Please, Sanji, follow through with the plan._ She turned around again, wrapped an arm around his waist and tucked a lock of bright orange hair behind her left ear.

"So," she whispered, "what kind of reward do you want?" she could feel him tense with excitement. "Wait, I think I have the perfect reward for you." she tapped his nose. The man led her to the bathrooms and stood outside. He was about to sit outside on a bench until Nami grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the bathroom. She shoved him up to a wall and pressed a hard kiss on his lips.

He was... very surprised at first but eventually he started melting into the kiss. She took his hat off and threw it across the room. He deepened the kiss and she started undoing his uniform apron-type outfit, the knot came undone so she took it off and threw it to her feet. She kept kissing him and he raised his hands to undo her clothing but Nami stopped him and looked him in the face. "I hope you have a nice sleep," with that, she pressed her thumb against a pressure point on his neck and he went limp and fell to the bathroom floor. "Jerk-off..."

She took his apron and tied it around her waist and neck, then she walked across the room and picked up his hat. It was covered in dust so she swept it off and placed it firmly on her head. Nonchalantly, with her hands in her pockets and hooded eyes, she walked out of the bathroom and toward the cash register she was just at. She looked to where Sanji was waiting and saw him coming down to where he was supposed to meet her. There was a chair in the area where the cashier stood when they check out your groceries, so she sat at it and put her feet up on the conveyor belt.

Sanji came down to the register and looked down at Nami. He stood there for a second until he turned back to the carriage and pulled out objects to place on the belt. "So how are you on this fine day..." he looked at the name tag, "Frank?" Nami just sneered at him. She pulled her feet down and stood up, searching around for the conveyor button. She found it and pushed it, then the objects started moving down the belt.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. But I would prefer if you called me Nami. It's a nickname." she watched as the materials moved down the belt. The scanner pad was off and the moved the items across it, pretending to scan them. "So how do you think it worked out? I think I did pretty well, if I do say so myself." she said, continuing with the items.

"I think you did good too." he paused, "Say, how did you get the guy to give you his uniform? Where is he anyway?"

Nami's eyes widened. "Uh... he's chilling. In the, um... lounge? Place." she looked down to avoid his gaze.

Sanji laughed and threw her a knowing glance. "I think I know what you did. You little thief."

Nami laughed, "Haha! Just call me Nami Nusubito! I specialize in those kinds of things." they stayed silent while Nami finished the scanning. She bagged the items and placed them back into the carriage.

Sanji was deep in thought. Nami noticed this. "Ano, Nami-san, what if that guy comes back and tells the manager? Could we get into trouble?"

Nami was silent. Sanji almost thought that she didn't hear him until she spoke, "Don't worry, Sanji, he won't remember a thing." _I made sure of that_. Nami took off her uniform and hat and placed them on the chair in the little area. And together, Nami and Sanji walked out of the store. Sanji unpacked everything into the car and they drove home.

-

Nami leaned her forehead on the glass of her window and stared out as the trees passed by. Her eyes closed and she thought about what happened in the store.

The rain had stopped by the time they got outside and the drops still clung to the glass. She watched as a stray drop fell down the window and stuck to the rubber holding the glass in place.

_Today's events: Interesting. Found a homeless guy and went shopping with him... when I put it like that, it sounds so stupid._. She turned away from the window and put her bare feet on the dash board, she took this chance and stared at her leg, thinking about how it was healing. She couldn't stop herself from thinking that Sanji was the person that threw the bottles at her, and she feared asking him, he might take it the wrong way. Then he might decide to stay in the alley._ And if he does that, he may die. Then I'll know it's my fault that he died... again_. Her arm seemed to be healing slow, and even more so since she opened it again in the store. But ever since she cleaned it at home, her leg hasn't been giving her too much trouble. Except, when she fell on the stairs.

Sanji had also been quiet so far. She hasn't heard him say a word since they were walking toward the store exit. _Maybe he's just tired. I know I sure am._ she opened her eyes and willed herself not to fall asleep. _I have to stay awake. After all, I know nothing about this guy._ she turned her gaze once again to Sanji. His eyes were focused on the road, and he didn't seem to notice she was staring.

She narrowed her eyes, what was she going to do when Bellemère got home? How in the world could she explain that she found some guy in the streets and decided to keep him? _'Oh, hey, Bellemère, I found this poor guy on the streets. Can I keep him?' _she rolled her eyes, _Sure, that would go over well... _She turned back to face the windshield. They were almost home, but they still had another three minutes until they got there. She didn't notice that the store was that far. Probably on the account that she wasn't the one driving...

She grinned to herself. She was so proud of herself today. Taking in a homeless man, and in doing so, possibly saving his life. Then she goes to the store and gets out of paying. She thought about that for a minute. Maybe it wasn't something to be very proud of, but when you're not exactly rich, it feels better not to be in debt to the point of suicide.

But then she got thinking. _Poor... Sanji seems poor too. Well, if he was rich, he sure as _hell _wouldn't be living in an alley!_ she switched her eyes toward him. Still as concentrated as ever. Minding the road. She might as well ask him what he wants to do. And what he plans to do later. At first she hesitated. "S-so, Sanji. What... what are you planning to do when we get home?"

Sanji's eyes widened but then narrowed slightly. He didn't turn. "Well, Nami-san. I intend to make lunch or something. Besides, that was the point we went shopping wasn't it?" he smiled.

"It was also meant to get some clothes for both of us too." she positioned her eyes back in front. "Do you like your new clothes? I got some for myself you know." I wish I got some new shoes as well. But that would have been pushing it, I think."

He nodded. "Me too. I was so worried that we would have gotten caught when we got my shoes. But if you had tried too, I probably would have freaked out." he turned onto their street. "I should learn to not underestimate you. You're pretty good at things like that. I get a feeling that you've done this kind of thing before."

She looked out the window, thinking. "Thanks," Sanji pulled into their driveway. Nami waited as the car turned off. After the rain had stopped, the air had gotten humid. The windows on the house were fogged and the light inside was blurred and disfigured. She looked sideways toward her arm... she had to tell someone. "Sanji, have you ever been... cut?"

He looked surprised. His eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean, Nami-san?" his surprised expression turned into one of concern. "Did someone hurt you?"

Nami kept her eyes averted. _I think you did._ "Not exactly. I fell onto a nail sticking out of a garbage can," she lifted up her sleeve showing a blood stained cloth down half the length of her arm, "and it kind of hurt." at this his eyes bugged out.

"When did that happen?!" he moved to touch her arm but she pulled out of his reach.

"Yesterday," she covered her arm back up, "I cleaned it then, but today in the store it opened back up. It's not healing very good." she leaned over, unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. "If we're going to make lunch, then I suggest we go inside to make it, ne?" with that she climbed out of the car and stepped out into the chilly autumn air. Stretching her legs she slammed the door shut. Sanji followed suit, and they both went inside. They took off their jackets and Nami placed them on the rack next to the door.

"You know, you never answered my question," she said, walking over to the stairs. "Have you been cut before or haven't you?" she stared at her feet. "It would sure help if you knew what to do."

Sanji watched her sit down. "Actually," he began, walking toward the steps and leaning on the railing, "I have been cut." Nami looked up at him.

"Please tell," she scooted over, making a spot for him to sit.

"Thanks," he said, taking a seat next to Nami, "I will tell you. Well, it all started at the restaurant I worked at." he shifted his gaze to the window adorning the wall next to the door. "There was this guy working there who, all of a sudden, flipped out. He cut me on the back... He also killed a one of my friends..."

Nami's eyes were wide with shock, "Someone cut you while you were working?" she looked down apprehensively. "Do you have a scar?"

Sanji looked over to her, hesitating for only a second, "Of... course I do. He got me with a knife. No one I know would get away from that without a scar or two." he closed his visible eye and smiled warmly.

An uncomfortable silence washed over them, "Can I see it?" Nami asked. Sanji gaped at her, surprised.

"Y-you actually want to see it?" he asked. "I mean, most girls I know wouldn't ask to look at a scar." he looked to his feet. "They would usually get grossed out." he chuckled to himself.

Nami gasped in offense. "You don't know me. I'm not like most girls. I can handle blood, and doing stuff like I did today, like stealing." she moved her eyes to the wall next to her. "I actually find scars to be interesting." she stated. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?" she stared back over to him.

Sanji looked over to her and started lifting up his shirt. "Not really." he positioned himself by facing the railing so Nami could see.

The scar was dangerously close to his spine...

Nami's eyes widened in awe as she took in the scar. _It's so fascinating. I want to touch it. _She moved her hand to do so. Her fingertips touched the scar, but she stopped herslf before she could do anymore. _Stop it, Nami. He probably doesn't want you touching him._

Little did she know, Sanji was smiling like an idiot on the other side of himself. A heart overtaking his right eye. "Wow... that scar is so interesting. It's in a perfect straight line. Many of the scars I've seen are all twisted and deformed." she turned her gaze to her arm. "I hope mine scars like that, though it may be shorter."

Sanji covered his bare back again. "I hope it doesn't scar at all. A beauty such as you doesn't deserve a scar." Nami looked away, deep in thought. _Should I show him again? _she started picking at a spot on the wall with her fingernail. _But what if he tries touching it again?_ She glanced at him, he was staring at his shoes on the mat next to the door. _Oh well._

Nami stared at the shoes on the mat too. Another silence seized them. Until, that is, Sanji broke it.

"Ano na, Nami-san, would you mind if I took a look at your arm?" Nami looked him in the face._ He must have been thinking what I was thinking. _she thought with an invisible smile.

Nami was silent. But she reluctantly lifted her sleeve. Showing the blood stained shirt she stole from the store. It covered her arm from the shoulder to her mid-forearm and was completely soaked in blood.

She saw Sanji cringe slightly at the sight of it, seeing his nose scrunch a tiny bit. Feeling self-conscious, Nami covered her arm back up and got off the steps. "If you'll excuse me, Sanji, I'm going to clean and re-bandage my wounds." she left with those words.

Sanji watched her take leave down the hall. She was apparently going into the bathroom. "Hmm... I guess I should start on dinner." she said to himself, looking at the wall clock. "3:30 huh? Guess I can take my time then." with that he walked into the kitchen.

He took a seat at the kitchen table and thought. "I forgot to take in the groceries."

... He went out and got the groceries...

"Phew.. We got enough stuff?" he asked no one in particular. He started pulling stuff out but stopped himself when he realized that his wasn't his home and he had no idea where to put things. He sat back down and thought about what just happened on the stairs. His one visible eye turned into a big heart. " Nami-san touched my scar. I take that as a sign that she likes me..." he closed his eyes and relaxed into the chair. "What should I make for dinner? I should probably ask Nami-san... I should wait for her opinion. Yes, that is what I shall do." deciding, he sat there and waited for Nami. "After dinner tonight, I have to make a decision. It all depends on what Nami-san wants as well..." with that, he waited while watching the clock that hung on the wall...

-----

Yay! Another chapter by me, Kage. Thank you.

I recently got some incense at the mall. I hate going there but my brother insisted. Plus, I was out of incense :) Well, I got 40 sticks of one called Fantasia. OMG IT SMELLS GOOD!

This chapter took me long enough. I couldn't get it up sooner because our router or something wasn't working so I couldn't access the internet :( Oh well, I got it up didn't I? I hope you enjoyed this installment! XD


	15. A Pleasant Lunch Right?

HEY EVERYONE!!! I'm really happy that you liked my last chapter. I had a feeling that no one would review. Hehe... But the people I most expected to review did. OH! And I got 4,000 hits and about 60 reviews! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!! I love you all. Squee... And without further ado, I give you, Windows to the Soul chapter 15!

And as always, I shall thank my reviewers.

(( Bear ))- As always, you're always the first to review! Thank you so much. I as well can't wait for her reaction. I guess you'll just have to wait and find out!

(( Mirathin ))- I have said ne? sometimes when I'm supposed to say right? -lol- I guess it's from watching too many fansubs...

(( Sanji-luver ))- Thanks for reviewing. And I take it that you really liked this chapter. Though, I can't blame you. SQUEE! Sanji... shirt... bare... squee...

(( SxN Fan ))- Thank you. And you're right: the scar was too close for comfort to his spine. -shivers- I like that part also. And I understand about school reading, I have to read too. In fact, I just got my book the other day... Enjoy the chapter!

(( RECAP - "After dinner tonight, I have to make a decision. It all depends on what Nami-san wants as well..." with that, he waited while watching the clock that hung on the wall... ))

-----

Sanji-

_Okay then... lunch._ Sanji was still in the kitchen, waiting for Nami to finish up her stuff in the bathroom. _What should I make for Nami-san? _The grocery bags sat near his feet while he sat in a chair, his feet balanced on another. _It would probably help if I knew what she wanted but, unfortunately, I don't... _His hands started going through the bags.

Bag after bag, so many items. Why did we get so much stuff? He pulled out a random object. Square in shape and full of thin solid objects. _Spaghetti huh?_ Romantic fantasies flew through his head: Spaghetti dinner by candle light. He sighed lightly and faced his body toward the hallway where the bathroom was. Nami sure was taking a while. But it was to be expected. Her wounds weren't going to heal without treatment. _I guess I'm just worried..._

The cantaloupe rolled around on the counter. "Apparently Nami-san doesn't have a problem with this. She wouldn't have got them if she didn't like them." he said to no one in particular. _Now, where does she keep her cutting boards?_

-Nami-

A blushing Nami paced the bathroom. _I have to stop thinking about him._ Her thoughts ran around the vision of Sanji with his shirt off and his perfect scar running down his muscular back. Another blush crept onto her cheeks. "Damn it! That's the third time I blushed today!" The mirror reflected her flushed face, "What's wrong with me?" she asked in barely a whisper, running her fingers through her fine orange hair.

She winced as her arm throbbed painfully. _Yes, right. My arm._ In no time, her shirt was on the floor and she was sitting on the sink, her makeshift bandage thoroughly soaked in blood. _How pleasant._ The layer of cloth was sticking to the wound and her eyes watered from the pain of pulling them off. A soft, pained squeak left her lips, followed by a sharp hiss when the cold air hit the open cut.

_I should probably just take bath._ _A shower might irritate it. _she went over to the sink and washed off the dried blood with cold water, being careful not to touch the wound too much. It was then that she remembered about the bloody towel that she had completely ruined, laying dejectedly by the toilet. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, _Hehe... Oops. I'll deal with that later..._

The tub was soon filled with warm water and she stripped her clothes to take her bath.

---

Eventually Sanji found the cutting boards and pulled out a large platter. He stood and stared at his masterpiece. A cantaloupe bird (1) surrounded by fanned out pieces of the same fruit. A special creation and so easy to make. He smiled and took a bite out of a spare piece, "Nami-san will love this!" He exclaimed, tiny hearts emanating from nowhere. He floated over to the empty fridge and placed the bird in for safe keeping.

But now... he was bored. He sat back down and waited. In a few moments his worries became clear, "I hope Nami-san is okay. Maybe I should go check if she needs help with something." He pushed his way out of the chair and started towards the hallway with his hands placed in his pockets.

His feet carried him to a door that he knew to be the bathroom. A strong hand knocked gently on the wood, "Ano na, Nami-san? Are you okay?" he asked

Nami looked up from her arm, "Um... Sanji? I-I'm okay, I'm just taking a bath. You don't need to worry about me."

"That's wonderful, Nami-san! I also came to ask you what you would like to eat for lunch?" Sanji didn't care what Nami picked. Whatever she requested, he would make it without question. Nami was shocked. First, she didn't expect him to care as much as he did or ask her what she wanted to eat. She was silent for a while, and Sanji was starting to get worried, "Nami-san? You okay?" he felt stupid for asking the same question again but he didn't want to see her hurt. _Okay, I need to stop worrying, I don't even know this girl. _he thought

Embarrassed, Nami fought for her voice, "I'm good, honestly. I'll just have a sandwich. Don't care what kind..." she trailed off and stared at a bottle of shampoo.

"Hai, Nami-san! I will put my all into your meal." not a minute later she heard what sounded like skipping disappear in the direction of the kitchen.

Nami slouched down, letting the water cover her chin._ What a mess..._ She began scrubbing her arms. _How will I explain this to Bellemère? _She shivered when she thought of the screaming that would occur. _Maybe I don't have to tell her. He could take a futon and live in the attic. I could feed him and everything!_ She nodded her approval. He would stay warm during the Fall and Winter, and then he could probably live in the basement during the Spring and Summer.

But what if Sanji didn't even want to stay? Surely he had no where to go, since she _did _find him on the streets. _I know _I _would pick a home instead of the street. _She piled some shampoo in her hand and started washing her hair. _But what if she finds out? She'd throw him out! Then I'll blame her for killing someone._ She giggled to herself,_ She'll probably think he's cute._ Unknowingly to her, she blushed a light pink. "Damn it!" she scrubbed her hair harder.

Sanji was in the kitchen, everything they were eating for lunch laid out on the counter. He had fixed lunch in the blink of an eye and was now once again bored. A loud groan left his lungs and he looked toward the hallway that led toward the front door. Pictures lined the wall, each having at least one woman with odd hair color. Intrigued, he got up and waltzed over to them like it were his own house.

One picture had Nami in it. A sudden impulse urged him to steal it, but he forced his hands to stay in his pockets. The next frame held a photo of an older woman with a funky pink hairdo. Her mother possibly? She was standing behind two smaller children; one with dark periwinkle hair and one with bright orange hair. The latter must have been Nami. Was the other one her sister?

He looked with much interest. The periwinkle haired girl was just as beautiful as Nami! He gushed inwardly. It must run in the family.

To his left, the noise of an opening door reached his ears. Must be Nami coming out of the bathroom. He peeked around the corner, but he soon realized that this was a bad idea. Nami was walking out of the bathroom in a towel and hair plastered to her face; obviously cold from the lack of heat in the house. She reached another door on the opposite side of the hall and scurried inside. _Kami_(2)_, Nami is really pretty..._

(Nami's Room)

Nami rushed into her room as fast as she could and went over to the rug in front of her thermostat. Quickly turning up the heat five degrees and stood in front of the air vent; letting the air blow up the inside of her towel and over her legs. "How can it be so cold already?" she got dressed as quickly as she could and sat on her bed to brush her hair, "Though, I bet it's even colder outside..." she thought bitterly about Sanji. If she hadn't seen him the other day, he would probably be out in the cold.

Nami finally emerged from her room and Sanji and her ate their lunch in silence(3).

After their lunch was finished, an uncomfortable silence enveloped the two. Nami picked at her nails underneath the table and Sanji just stared at his clean plate. Deciding he should break the silence, Sanji stood, "I'll take your plate, Nami-san."

Nami didn't answer. She was still thinking over her plan for Sanji. All of his possible answers and Bellemère's reactions. Sanji decided not make her talk and just lifted her plate to the sink. The dishes were soon clean and Nami was just staring at Sanji's back. Again thinking to his scar, her new cuts and what caused them. That's right, Sanji must have been the one that threw the bottle. She bit her lip, _Should I ask him?_

"...Sanji-kun," She mentally kicked herself for using the suffix but kept going, "You know when I showed you my arm?" _Well, duh!_ She waited silently as Sanji nodded, "Well, that wasn't the only cut I have." She flinched slightly as she saw Sanji jump a little and start flopping over to her.

He started looking her over frantically, looking for said cut, "Nami-san, where is it?" He seemingly wasn't affected by the suffix she used (4).

She put a hand to his shoulder to calm him, "It's okay, Sanji-kun, It's healing well and it wasn't that bad to begin with." she lied, "Just look at it." she removed her hand and used to pull up the leg of her pants, to reveal her bandaged calf. "I just bandaged it in the bathroom. It's all clean and stuff." she undid the bandages, all the while feeling Sanji's eyes burning holes in her legs.

All he did was '_hmm..._' when he saw her leg. "That's a weird cut, Nami-san. I thought it would look a lot worse." The cut was healing pretty good and was starting to leave scabs and scar.

"I know. Since it's starting to heal it looks all scabby and blah." she stuck her tongue out at her leg.

"Ano na, Nami-san... how did you get this one?"

_Uh oh..._ "Um... Well..." she sighed and motioned with her hands for him to sit down again. After doing so she sighed again. "It was the day I first went into the alley," she pointed out the window, "I was going to see what was in the back of it and all of a sudden, a bottle comes flying out of nowhere!" she exclaimed, making exploding motions with her hands.

Sanji visibly deflated, "N-Nami-san... a-are you sure that's what caused it?" she could sense several emotions in his voice.

"Yes."

They were both silent for a while. Both very nervous and uncomfortable. Sanji's face was twisted in what seemed like guilt. "Nami-san?"

"Hm?"

"...I'm sorry..."

----------

I know this chapter is kind of jumpy... and short, and I apologize. That was just the way it happened. I hope that you don't mind... too much.

(1)I know you can make bird out of an apple, so I presume you can also make them out of cantaloupe too. I know they're two totally different fruits... Live with it.

(2)Kami is _God _in Japanese. You can add -Sama for honorifics and such.

(3)Who really cares what they ate for lunch? Not me! Pointless details anyway.

(4)I just kind of want her to start calling him Sanji-kun. x3

–––––––

My Reviewers have been very nice and patient... I think. I hope you all are still sticking with me. But either way, I will give my thanks:

(( Bear ))- As always, you're always the first to review! Thank you so much. I as well can't wait for her reaction. I guess you'll just have to wait and find out!

(( Mirathin ))- I have said ne? sometimes when I'm supposed to say right? -lol- I guess it's from watching too many fansubs...

(( Sanji-luver )) Thanks for reviewing. And I take it that you really liked that chapter. Though, I can't blame you. SQUEE! Sanji... shirt... bare... squee...

THANK YOU sanji-luver FOR THE ADVICE FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS!!! You helped with some writer's block and I am thankful for your help.

(( SxN Fan ))- Thank you. And you're right: the scar was too close for comfort to his spine. -shivers- I like that part also. And I understand about school reading, I had to do it too... Enjoy the chapter!

((MidnightWolf-cub))- I hope this helps. XD I'm happy that you left a review.


	16. The Attic

I've decided to move all the things I do at the top (thank reviewers, random stuff, updates on things) at the bottom, not including the recap and disclaimer. Speaking of which, here it is!

((Disclaimer - I do not own ANYTHING pertaining to One Piece. Not even something cool like a One Piece pen, notebook, calendar, or shirt of some kind. So how could I ever own the show itself?))

((RECAP - They were both silent for a while. Both very nervous and uncomfortable. Sanji's face was twisted in what seemed like guilt. "Nami-san?"

"Hm?"

"...I'm sorry..."))

HERE WE GO! WEEE!!! ((I'm gonna try to put italics in for thinking this time... I think I have an idea. Plus those little hyphen things were annoying me. I went back and fixed all of my chapters... I hope you enjoy this chapter!)) _Thinking..._ "Speaking"... Everything else

---

-Sanji-

Flashes of remorse flitted across Sanji's face. Knowing that Nami-san would/could do many things after he told her his... rather unfortunate news.

_Great... now I might loose Nami-san for something as stupid as paranoia_... He thought with a grim expression. White, cotton socks scuffed against the linoleum flooring of the kitchen, doing nothing but getting them dusty. "Um... I feel like I must explain..." he said uneasily, lifting a hand to slowly rub the back of his neck nervously, the other behind him on the counter. "This isn't going to be very easy, but promise me one thing..."

-Nami-

Nami was still in the dark, sitting in the same spot she has been in for at least an hour. Her pleasant lunch has turned into an interrogation trial! She saw all the emotions cross over Sanji's face... none very optimistic, in her views.

One eyebrow arched, silently asking the question before she did, "It really depends... but I'll promise anyway because you're my friend." she explained confidently, but then reeled back, _Woah! Since when was he been considered my friend?! _She put a hand on her forehead, holding it and pressing her thumb and middle finger against her temples. Meeting Sanji has put her in such a frustrated mood, she's been thinking things she normally wouldn't think about and her attitude has changed immensely. If Bellemère was to guess, she'd probably shrug it off as _'that time of the month'._

Sanji looked up from tracing the flowery patterns on the fake tiles of the kitchen, "Well..." he was about to tell her to sit down but, lo and behold, she already was."Nami-san, Ano na, believe it or not, I..." he hesitated, thinking once again of her reactions, "was the one who... threw the bottle at you." His hand started rubbing the back of his neck faster, his nervousness almost visible enough to see. Again he started scuffing his socks along the floor, feeling Nami's eyes on him the whole time.

Nami, on the other hand, wasn't phased at all. She wasn't surprised in the least and just sat at the kitchen table with indifferent eyes. Still, she had nothing to say and knew that if she stayed silent any longer, Sanji would probably feel very... well... she didn't know how to put it. But after a moment of silence, Nami tried to put a sentence together, "So... that was _you_ Sanji-kun?" she noted to herself to smack herself in the forehead later, "Well,_ duh!_" she stood up from her seat, "It wasn't that stupid rat I killed!" she smiled, trying desperately to raise his mood a little. "Most rats I know can't throw bottles like that."

His hand lowered from his neck and found its way to his side slowly. Sanji stood still and silent, listening to Nami's unworried speech, he found her little attempt at acting nonchalant to be very unbelieving. Shaking his head he spoke, "N-Nami-san, how can you be so careless? I could have given you worse wounds than you have now!" he straightened up and took a step forward, "You should be scared of me! Disgusted that a dangerous, homeless man is even this close to you in your own home!" His face contorted into one of slight anger. "You've been too nice to me, Nami-san. I really think I should leave..."

After hearing Sanji's unusual anger filled words, and watching as his tall figure removed itself quickly from the counter, Nami's eyes widened considerably. But in that same moment, her eyes narrowed, actually thinking about his words. She decided to speak, "Who are you to tell me what to feel?" she asked, a dark expression on her features and trying to keep her voice low, "I took you in because _I_ wanted to. Also, I'm not sadistic enough to watch someone die in front of me. I don't feel disgust toward you and I don't regret my actions!" her voice steadily rose, "I don't really care whether or not it was you who threw the bottle. I'm healing fine and I'm definitely over it now." her arms crossed and she looked away, effectively not seeing Sanji's fused reaction of pure confusion and shock.

Sanji stood stock still. He'd never heard Nami get so angry over something like this. In fact, He'd never heard Nami get angry, period. His guilt slowly lifted, only to replace with embarrassment "Ano na..." His hand twitched to move behind his neck once again, though stopping before it even left his pocket. "You don't hate me... do you, Nami-san?"

Another awkward silence passes between them but, naturally, Nami broke it with her response,"Of course not, Sanji-kun..." she stared at the tabletop, think of what she was going to say next. "Well... we should find you somewhere to spend the night. I think I have a good place in mind." with that, she left for the hallway in front of her room.

Sanji felt one thing right now, and that was his immense stupidity. A big fuss about nothing and now here he was... didn't prove her wrong and now following Nami into the hallway. He let out a deep sigh, shoving his hands in his pockets he trudged along after Nami.

Nami made her way through the hallway, going past the bathroom, which was still a little wet from _washing clothes_, and passing her room as well. Arriving at the end of the hall, there was a small window and... actually, that's all there was. Sanji didn't miss this fact.

"Nami-san?" he asked, wondering exactly why they weren't moving anymore.

In response she turned around with a sheepish grin on her face, "Hehe, Sanji-kun!" she cooed, putting on her innocent and helpless face, "I need help..." she looked upwards at the object of her distress.

Sanji, in return, followed her gaze, after a couple of heart shaped whatevers floating from somewhere behind him...

Then there appeared a little door... on the ceiling. Sanji's eyes became hooded and he thought about exactly what was happening, a bored expression on his face, "Nami-san, you want me... to live in the attic?"

The grin just stayed plastered to her face, "Well, maybe not _live_ in the attic... or would you rather _live _in an extremely cluttered and very small closet?" she smiled with fake kindness and reached her arm up, trying to look helpless and make Sanji help her in reaching the handle to the attic door.

Another, though defeated and affectionate, sigh left his lips, "Hai, hai..." he breahted, reaching up and grasping the handle. Sanji carefully pulled down the set of stairs from the ceiling. A light layer of dust fell from the stairs as it opened, a sign they haven't been used in a while, and Nami looked down at it, annoyed that she would have to pick that up later.

After a bit of climbing and dust covered legs, Sanji and Nami finally made it into the attic...

---

Sanji's first impression; not impressed. There was a _heavy_ layering of dust coating the floor and boxes were piled against the walls. Not to mention that those very same boxes were coated with the same heavy layer of dust.

A small trail of footprints were pressed into the dust, and he could tell that they were kind of fresh. Sanji just figured the lady 'Bellemère' Nami was talking about was up here and didn't think much about it. They just stood there for a while and then Nami spoke up, "Okay, my foster mother and I were up here earlier in the week. We just wanted a small tour of the house and searched it from top to bottom. This, I think, would make better living quarters than a closet or the basement." she started walking forward, "Follow me. You'll see it's much better."

Follow Nami he did, and soon he found himself at a door at what seemed like the end of the room. "Why would there be a door in the attic?" Sanji asked himself quietly. Nami just ignored his question and opened the dusty door with some difficulty.

"Don't worry, It just hasn't been opened in a while." she reassured, pulling the door open.

As the door opened, a small amount of light flooded from the room beyond the threshold. Compared to the dark, bleak, main room of the attic, this room was unusually bright. Nami made a sweeping hand gesture toward the room that seemed to say 'Well, here it is...'

"This is the room I was talking about. It's a little brighter than the other room because it has two windows." she took a couple steps inside, dragging Sanji in behind her. "One right over there near the back and one," she turned toward another wall, "on that side wall there."

Sanji stood there, letting himself get dragged around by Nami. As she pointed things out, Sanji would nod, but really thinking about her warm hand on his. It took most of his will power not to start gushing and emit little hearts around him, but somehow he succeeded. When he felt this strange pressure on his shoulder, he looked over to see Nami poking him in that same spot. From the look on her face, she seemed to have asked a question. No wonder he didn't feel her warm hand against his anymore... "I'm sorry, Nami-san. Did you ask something?"

A frustrated but humored sigh came from Nami, "Yes. Do you prefer to sleep on the floor or in the air?"

This had to be one of the oddest questions Sanji has ever heard. "When you say, 'the air' what do you mean by that?"

"A hammock, baka! What? Did you think you were just going to float there?" she laughed.

Ah... Hammocks were all good, but they kind of hurt your back if you're in them too long. "I think I'll pick the floor." he glanced at said floor and grimaced, "It's kinda dusty though..." to prove his point, he reached over and dragged a finger over a shelf, leaving a clean line in its wake.

Nami slapped her forehead, "There's a thing called _cleaning!_" she explained. "We can do that tomorrow. I'll just tell Bellemère I was bored or something. She'll believe me." she led Sanji over to the back of the room. "We'll get you a light in here for night time and all the things you basically need to live..." she held her breath, waiting for Sanji to say something along the lines of 'I don't want to live here' or 'Who said I was going to stay here?'. But nothing came from the man and she continued. "Since we're going to clean tomorrow, I think you should stay somewhere else for the night." Nami again led Sanji into the main room, closed the door and made for the stairs. "You have two choices; A closet or a spare corner in my room."

Sanji definitely felt his heart skip a beat. Out of those two choices, he _knew_ which he was going to pick. "If it's any difference to you, I would like to stay in a corner of your room. Closets don't sound very appealing right now."

They both jumped from the attic and into the hallway, looking like dust bunnies from hell. Nami looked down at herself, "Crap..." she looked over at Sanji, "Crap, again..." Defeated, Nami walked over to the bathroom. "Okay... let's get cleaned up... again."

---

-sighs- Okay! Here's another wonderful chapter from me, Kage! I know I know, I've been neglecting my duties as a writer, but as I said before... school and all that good stuff. I'll have you know that I'm not failing everything... (like last year -cough-) but actually made high honors! -dances-

REVIEWERS MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND!

((Sanji-luver))- I very much agree. Sanji needs to take off his clothes more often xD

((MidnightWolf-cub))- Hehe! I hope you enjoyed this update as well. Plus, Nojiko is currently being thrown halfway into the plot. You'll just have to be patient:D

**If you're not able to review for some reason, I guess you can just send me a Private Message. I had to delete a chapter and I have no clue if that affected anything in any way.**


	17. But How?

((Disclaimer- I don't own One Piece...))

((Recap-

They both jumped from the attic and into the hallway, looking like dust bunnies from hell. Nami looked down at herself, "Crap..." she looked over at Sanji, "Crap, again..." Defeated, Nami walked over to the bathroom. "Okay... let's get cleaned up... again." ))

Without further ado, I give you Windows to the Soul: Chapter 17...

* * *

-Sanji-

To be honest, Sanji didn't get all that dirty up in the attic, but who was he too complain? Another shower wasn't exactly a sin, especially since he _was_ homeless until a few hours ago.

Getting cleaned up didn't take too long either. Beat your clothes for a minute or two, take a shower; definitely not a sin. _Ahh! I haven't felt this clean for months!_ A deep yawn resonated from his lungs, _I'm so thankful for Nami-san's help._

Sanji was the last to clean himself up so he made his way cautiously across the hall to Nami's room.

---

Sitting on her bed, Nami combed her silky, tangerine-colored hair. A few snarls got caught on the teeth and as they did so, Nami followed with a wince._ What's taking Sanji so long? _She finished with her hair and placed the comb next to her on the bed, _He better not be stealing soap!_ And just like that, Sanji walked through the door.

He dipped down in a small bow and spoke quietly, "Hi, Nami-san, I finished cleaning." His face was grim and his eyes flicked about the room nervously. Almost like he was expecting an ambush.

"No need to be scared, Sanji-kun." she was about to pat the spot next to her on the bed, signaling Sanji to sit down... but she thought better of it. "I made a small spot for you in the corner next to my bed." she pointed to said corner. "The _only_ reason it's next to my bed is because of the door placement of my room. If Bellemère were to walk in and see you, she would freak out."

Sanji nodded slowly and made his way over to Nami's bed, his heart beating faster with every step taken. Trying to hide his slight panic, he looked out of the window in front of him. "It's getting darker already.. must be getting late."

Still bored and uncaring, Nami stayed on her bed, hugging her knees. Then Sanji's words finally sunk in. _Bellemère!! _She thought frantically.Quickly, she scrambled off of her bed, almost tripping and falling on her face in the process. Sanji watched with a stony face, but very much laughing at her expense on the inside.

Regaining her lost dignity, Nami walked out through the door. Not even two seconds later, she came through the door again, "Sanji," she held her breath, trying to remember what she was going to say. "Um... don't touch or break anything. I'll be back in a second." and once again left.

---

The silence of the room was overwhelming. But of course silence doesn't matter when you're in Nami-san's room by yourself! Sanji's expression flew from bored to ecstatic in a matter of seconds. Though he dared not show it with but a smile and slightly more elated facial features

But Nami... was walking towards the kitchen for a little thought on her Bellemère situation. As she walked into the kitchen, she glanced at the clock. _Okay... five o'clock. Five more hours until Bellemère gets home._ Nami continued her walk back to her room,_ Unless for some unbelievably stupid reason she decides to come home early. _A small smile graced her lips as she thought about that._ It would be just my luck._

Feeling as stupid as can be, Nami walked back into her room quietly, ignoring the fact that Sanji was staring at everything she owned like it was owned by a Greek God or some kind of princess. She plopped herself down on her bed, only then feeling the comb she left there stab into her back. She sat up slowly, waiting for Sanji to pay attention. Knowing that waiting wasn't going to be enough she got his attention quickly with a quite meaningful clear of her throat.

And of course, Sanji was there in a heartbeat.

"What can I do for you, my Nami-swan?!" he asked a little to eagerly and edging a little to close for Nami's comfort, "Would you like me to get you something?"

Nami just looked on with fascination. _How does he do that with his eye...? _she asked herself,_ It seems to shine. _She pushed the blonde man out of her face,"N-no thanks, Sanji-kun.I just wanted to make sure you got some things straight before you go rampaging all over the house." She positioned herself to face him. "First, I'm going to tell Bellemère that you're staying here... maybe tomorrow."

Sanji's reaction faltered a little at that, but then rapidly reverted back.

"Tonight, I will bring you your dinner. You have a choice of eating inside or outside. But if you eat inside, you will have to eat in my room. But if you choose to eat outside, you can pick wherever you want. We'll find a way to get you out there."she explained making sure he got every detail.

Sanji knew he wanted to eat inside, but it would be rude to eat in her room. So outside it was! He nodded, urging her to continue.

"As you very well should know the bathroom is right across the hall, Bellemère and Nojiko's rooms are upstairsalong with their bathroom, though I do advise that you stick to the one down here. Nojiko can get territorial about that bathroom." she laughed, despiteall thetimes that Nojiko had made it clear that it was _her_ bathroom and her's alone. "As you may also know, the backroom, or family room, is back behind the kitchen. And the basement shouldn't be too hard to find. But you don't even need or _want_ to go down there."

Needless to say, this was a lot to grasp for Sanji. "Understood, Nam–" he was cut off suddenly by a soft rapping at the door and immediately flicked his questioning eyes to Nami.

Nami laughed silently to herself and got up to walk over to the door. "Don't worry..." she opened the door only a crack but that was enough room for the small black blob to come rushing in. "I forgot to tell you... I have a cat. Hope you're not allergic." she bent down to pet the cat, unaware of Sanji's eyes following her every move. "Cause it would just break her little heart!" she cooed to the cat with a kidding smile.

Sanji grinned with pleasure, (1)"I absolutely adore cats, my dear Nami-swan."

Nami got Sanji accustomed to her room, making sure he got the fact that she didn't want him touching _anything_. Then after a while, they both decided that they needed a bit of chill time and they both took a small nap in their own sleeping areas. That and a CD went perfect with the idea. So a CD was played as they rested from their long day of drama.

---

Though Nami acted sleepy, she actually had too much on her mind to actually _sleep_. She ley there awake, still thinking of what Sanji had told her today... about him throwing the bottle. He never did actually explain why... _I guess we both got distracted._ She was just about to ask Sanji if he was awake when she heard the rumbling of an old car outside in the driveway. _The only person it should be is Bellemère... and she shouldn't be home until ten..._ She looked at the wall in the direction of the front door, listening for knocking. But when she heard the door just open and a loud, 'Nami! I'm home!' she quickly flew up from her bed and out her door.

She laughed uneasily, "Hehe... Bellemère, you're home early! Why?" she dashed forward to give her a hug to hide her shocked expression.

"Well, Nami, my friend's son got sick and I decided I should leave so she could take care of him properly. It would only be rude to stay." she explained. But when she caught sigh of Nami's expression, she soon turned suspicious. "So what have you done _all day_?" she asked the orange-haired teen. "Throw a party or what?" she looked down the hall and up the stairs for evidence.

Said teen's cheeks paled of color, But she composed her voice, "No, Bellemère, why would you think so badly of your little angel?" she asked cutely, "Don't you know me better than that?"

"Hmm..." Bellemère hummed skeptically, "I guess you're right." she turned to hang her coat on the rack behind her. "So, has Nojiko come home yet? Or called even?" she asked. Slight concern carved into her words. (2)

Nami looked down, panic and concern also etched onto her face. She felt ashamed that she had given all of her attention to Sanji and not one ounce to her own sister... even if she was adopted. Didn't she think it was a little bit strange that Nojiko didn't even _call_? "No, Bellemère, I haven't heard a word from her since the day before yesterday."

She watched as Bellemère made her way into the kitchen to apparently start dinner. She was relieved that she hadn't used her intimidation to get any more answers out of her, so she sat down on the stairs to calm her nerves. _Okay.. kinda close there..._ she thought.

Then a confused question made its way from the kitchen, "Nami... where'd all this food in the fridge come from?"

Of course... Nami hadn't planned that one out. "Uh..." she began, "house-warming gifts from the neighbors?"

Silence.

"The neighbors gave us cantaloupe? As a house-warming gift?" yet again more silence... "I was expecting something a little more... normal. Like a Jell-O-mold or cookies..." Nami could imagine the bemused expression on her foster mother's face. "Are you lying to me?"

Nami sighed silently, "Why would I lie about something as stupid as that?"

The argument lasted quite a while... but of course it ended and Bellemère started dinner with the neighbors' "house-warming gifts" while Nami made her way to her room where Sanji sat and listened to the whole conversation...

---

That night, Nami sneaked Sanji out through the front door as quietly as she could while Bellemère was out in the backroom watching television. The fact that he had decided to eat outside baffled her completely. Who would want to eat outside in September? It was already getting cold out.

After Sanji finished his outdoor dinner, Nami got him back into her room safely. They both rested for a minute on their beds. She knew she should have asked Sanji about the bottle outside, but of course she avoided the question. An answer was going to come out of him soon, and she knew that it was going to be by the end of the day. _Maybe... I should just ask him right now._ In fact, she would have... had not Bellemère called her right then. "Nami, can you come out here for a second?!" she called from the kitchen.

Defeated, Nami crawled from off of her bed and made it into the kitchen where Bellemère was. "Yes?" she asked, slightly peeved that her mother had called her out just when she was about to ask Sanji an important question.

"Nami... I'll just spit it out." Nami nodded,

"Why are you trying to hide him from me?"

At that precise moment, the orange haired girl's heart just about stopped. "Wh-what are you talking about, Bellemère?"

Bellemère let out an annoyed sigh, "Nami, I don't want to play games with you. I know you're hiding some guy in here and you're not telling me about it." she glared evilly at her daughter.

In response the girl sighed and lowered her head in defeat. It would do no good lying anymore to her mother. She mumbled quietly under her breath.

"What was that? Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked sarcastically, the tone in her voice knowing she had won.

"...You're right, Bellemère..."

"I know I am. Not many girls _I_ know go to the bathroom with the toilet seat up!" she laughed merrily, closing her eyes in her mirth.

Nami flushed at her comment, _How could Sanji forget something like that?_ She stayed quiet as she laughed and kept her head down in shame. Bellemère, noticing this, decided to speak.

"I'm not angry about the fact he's staying here. Just that you lied to me." she cooed gently, placing an arm around Nami's sagged shoulders. Grinning mischievously she added her next comment, "So... what's his name?" she jabbed her elbow into her side lightly.

In an instant, the girl's cheeks turned a shade of pink, "Sanji..." she answered hesitantly.

* * *

I know, please don't kill me. This is kinda short. But I wanted to get it out before someone killed me. Please read my comment at the bottom.

(1)- I'm not actually sure that Sanji likes cats... but I do know that he hates spiders! xD

(2)- Don't worry, I know _exactly_ where Nojiko is. -rubs hands together-

I actually just realize how much I stink at writing. And if some of you are going to write a flame or bash my story, I would just like you to know that I am not trying to write a novel here. I'm only doing this in my spare time for fun and don't care if I spell things wrong and get my grammar incorrect. I also don't have a beta to check it over. Mainly because I don't care if I make mistakes. So if some of you are going to get smart and say, 'you spelled this wrong' or 'you forgot to mention this'. I KNOW where Nojiko is, I will TRY to remember some things in the plot, okay? I know I sound like a bitch for saying this stuff, but I don't want people to judge my story without knowing these things. Most of the things that the characters say are OOC. I understand this. But if any of you are offended for some stupid reason, just don't read my story! That simple. And you don't need to tell me because I already know. I know my story sucks, I know they're OOC, I know I have bad grammar and spelling! I'm writing this because I want to work on writing and have fun. And if you so happen to like my story, that's just a good bonus for me. I love getting reviews from those who would read my story and say what they liked, who doesn't? People who give friendly advice are nice too. But flames and bashes aren't necessary. Nor are the flames people claim to be 'advice'.

I really appreciate if any of you even read my whole 'speech'...I hope you enjoyed my latest chapter... Thanks to all of you who reviewed for the previous one.


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